■jsum.nn»~z*.! 


asr  !■■  miiiji wi  ; 


BUNNY  BROV/M 

AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE 

GIVING  A  SHOW 


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BUNNY  BEGAN  TURNING  OVER  AND  OVER. 
Mutiny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  Giving-  a  Show.        Frontispiece  (Page  222) 


BUNNY  BROWN 

AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE 

GIVING  A  SHOW 

BY 

LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

AUTHOR  OF 

THE  BUNNY  BROWN  SERIES,  THE  BOBBSEY 

TWINS  SERIES,  THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS 

SERIES,  ETC 


Illustrated 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  United  States  of   America, 


*fM 


J 


BOOKS 
By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 


VZmo.     Cloth.     Illustrated. 


THE  BUNNY  BROWN  SERIES 

BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE 

BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  ON  GRANDPA'S  FARM 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  PLAYING  CIRCUS 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  AT  AUNT  LU'S  CITY 

HOME 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  AT  CAMP  REST-A-WHILE 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  IN  THE  BIG  WOODS 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  ON  AN  AUTO  TOUR 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  AND  THEIR  SHETLAND 

PONY 
BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  GIVING  A  SHOW 


THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  SERIES 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  THE  SEASHORE 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  ON  A  HOUSEBOAT 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  MEADOW  BROOK 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  HOME 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  A  GREAT  CITY 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  ON  BLUEBERRY  ISLAND 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  ON  THE  DEEP  BLUE  SEA 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  WASHINGTON 


THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  SERIES 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEPD  ALE 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  RAINBOW  LAKE 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  MOTOR  CAR 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  WINTER  CAMP 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  FLORIDA 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  OCEAN  VIEW 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  ON  PINE  ISLAND 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  WAR  SERVICE 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  THE  HOSTESS  HOUSE 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1919,  by 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  Giving  a  Show 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  "Look  at  the  Skylight!" 

II.  "Let's  Give  a  Show!" 

III.  Talking  it  Over  .    . 

IV.  The  Climbing  Boy  . 

V.  A  Cold  Little  Singer 

VI.  General  Washington 

VII.  "Down  on  the  Farm" 

VIII.  The  Scenery    ... 

IX.  Bunny  Does  a  Trick 

X.  Getting  Ready 

XI.  The  Strange  Voice 

XII.  A  Surprise  .    .    , 

XIII.  "They're  Gone"  . 

XIV.  Splash  Hangs  On 
XV.  Tickets  for  the  Show 

XVI.  Upside  Downside  Bunny 

XVII.  Sue's  Queer  Slide    . 

XVIII.  Mr.  Treadwell's  Wig 

XIX.  Uncle  Bill  .... 

XX.  The  Dress  Rehearsal 

XXL  "Where  is  Bunny?" 

f  XXII.  Act  I 

XXIII.  Act  II  .....    . 

XXIV.  Act  III 

5   XXV.  The  Final  Curtain  . 


PAGE 


BUNNY  BROWN 

AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE 

GIVING  A  SHOW 

CHAPTER  I 

"look  at  the  skylight!" 

With  a  joyful  laugh,  her  curls  dancing 
about  her  head,  while  her  brown  eyes  sparkled 
with  fun,  a  little  girl  danced  through  the  hall 
and  into  the  dining  room  where  her  brother  was 
eating  a  rather  late  breakfast  of  buckwheat  cakes 
and  syrup. 

"Oh,  Bunny,  it's  doing  it!  It's  come!  Oh, 
won't  we  have  fun!"  cried  the  little  girl. 

Bunny  Brown  looked  up  at  his  sister  Sue, 
holding  a  bit  of  syrup-covered  cake  on  his  fork. 

"What's  come?"  he  asked.  "Has  Aunt  Lu 
come  to  visit  us,  or  did  Wango,  the  monkey, 
come  up  on  our  front  steps?" 

"No,  it  isn't  Mr.  Jed  Winkler's  monkey  and 
Aunt  Lu  didn't  come,  but  I  wish  she  had," 

1 


2  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

answered  Sue.  "But  it's  come — a  lot  of  it,  and 
I'm  so  glad!    Hurray!" 

Bunny  Brown  put  down  his  fork  and  looked 
more  carefully  at  his  sister. 

"What  are  you  playing?"  he  asked,  thinking 
perhaps  it  was  some  new  game. 

"I'm  not  playing  anything!"  declared  Sue. 
"I'm  so  glad  it's  come!  Now  we  can  have  some 
fun !   Just  look  out  the  window,  Bunny  Brown !" 

"But  what  has  come?"  asked  the  little  boy, 
who  was  a  year  older  than  his  sister  Sue.  He 
was  a  bright  chap,  with  merry  blue  eyes  and 
they  opened  wide  now,  trying  to  see  what  Sue 
was  so  excited  about. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Bunny  Brown  once  more. 

"It's  snow!"  cried  Sue.  "It's  the  first  snow, 
and  it's  soon  going  to  be  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  and  all  like  that!  And  we  can  get 
out  our  sleds,  and  we  can  go  skating  and  make 
snow  men  and — and — and " 

But  she  just  had  to  stop.  She  was  all  out  of 
breath,  and  she  didn't  seem  to  have  any  words 
left  with  which  to  talk  to  Bunny. 

"Oh!  Snow!"  exclaimed  Bunny,  and  he  said 
it  in  such  a  funny  way  that  Sue  laughed. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  3 

Giving  a  Show 

Just  then  in  came  her  mother  from  the  kit- 
chen where  she  had  been  baking  more  cakes  for 
her  little  boy. 

"Oh,  it's  you,  is  it,  Sue?"  asked  Mrs.  Brown. 
"Do  you  want  some  more  breakfast?" 

"No,  thank  you,  Mother.  I  had  mine.  I  just 
came  in  to  tell  Bunny  it's  snowing.  And  we  can 
have  a  lot  of  fun,  can't  we?" 

"Well,  you  children  do  manage  to  have  a  lot 
of  fun,  one  way  or  another,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
with  a  smile. 

"Is  it  snowing,  Mother?"  asked  Bunny,  too 
excited  now  to  want  to  finish  his  breakfast. 

"Yes,  it  really  is,"  answered  Mrs.  Brown. 
"I  was  so  busy  getting  enough  cakes  baked  for 
you  that  I  didn't  notice  the  snow  much.  But,  as 
Sue  says,  it  is  coming  down  quite  fast." 

"Hurray!"  cried  Bunny,  even  as  Sue  had 
done.  "Do  you  think  there  will  be  lots  of  the 
snow?" 

"Well,  it  looks  as  though  there  might  be  quite 
a  storm  for  the  first  snow  of  the  season,"  replied 
the  mother  of  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue. 
"It's  a  bit  early  this  year,  too.  It's  almost  two 
weeks  until  Thanksgiving  and  here  it  is  snow- 


4  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

ing.     I'm  afraid  we're  going  to  have  a  hard 

winter." 

"With  lots  of  snow  and  ice,  Mother?"  asked 
Bunny. 

"Yes.  And  with  cold  weather  that  isn't  good 
for  poor  folks." 

"Oh,  I'm  glad!"  cried  Bunny.  "Not  about 
the  poor  folks,  though,"  he  added  quickly,  as  he 
saw  his  mother  look  at  him  in  surprise.  "But 
I'm  glad  there'll  be  lots  of  ice.  Sue  and  I  can 
go  skating." 

"And  there'll  be  lots  of  ice  for  ice-cream  next 
summer,"  added  Sue. 

Mrs.  Brown  laughed.  Then,  as  she  saw 
Bunny  racing  to  the  window  with  Sue,  to  push 
aside  the  curtains  and  look  out  at  the  falling 
white  flakes,  she  said: 

"Come  back  and  finish  your  breakfast,  Bunny. 
I  want  to  clear  off  the  table." 

"I  want  to  see  the  snow,  first,"  replied  the 
little  boy.  "Anyhow,  I  guess  I've  had  enough 
cakes." 

"Oh,  and  I  just  brought  in  some  nice,  hot, 
brown  ones!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown. 

"I'll  help  eat  'em!"  offered  Sue,  and  though 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  5 

Giving  a  Show 

she  had  had  her  breakfast  a  little  while  before, 
she  now  ate  part  of  a  second  one,  helping  her 
brother. 

It  was  Saturday,  and,  as  there  was  no  school, 
Mrs.  Brown  had  allowed  both  children  to  sleep 
a  little  later  than  usual.  Sue  had  been  up  first, 
and,  after  eating  her  breakfast  and  playing 
around  the  house,  she  had  gone  to  the  window 
to  look  out  and  wish  that  Bunny  would  get  up 
to  play  and  have  fun  with  her. 

Then  she  had  seen  the  first  snow  of  the  season 
and  had  run  into  the  dining  room  to  find  her 
brother  there  eating  his  late  meal. 

"May  we  go  out  in  the  snow  and  play?"  asked 
Bunny,  when  he  had  finished  the  last  of  the 
brown  cakes  and  the  sweet  syrup. 

"Yes,  if  you  put  on  your  boots  and  your  warm 
coats.  You  don't  want  to  get  cold,  you  know, 
or  you  can't  go  to  the  play  in  the  Opera  House 
this  afternoon." 

"Oh,  we've  got  to  see  that!"  cried  Bunny.  "I 
'most  forgot;  didn't  you,  Sue?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  little  girl,  "I  did.  Maybe 
it  will  snow  so  hard  that  they  can't  have  the 
show,  like  once  it  rained  so  hard  we  couldn't 


6  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

play  circus  in  the  tent  Grandpa  put  up  for  us  in 
the  lot." 

"Yes,  it  did  rain  hard,"  agreed  Bunny.  "And 
it's  snowing  hard,"  he  added,  as  he  squirmed 
into  his  coat  and  again  looked  out  of  the  win- 
dow. "Will  it  snow  so  hard  they  can't  give  the 
show,  Mother?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  I  think  not,"  answered  Mrs.  Brown. 
"This  play  isn't  going  to  be  in  a  tent,  you  know. 
It's  in  the  Opera  House,  and  they  give  shows 
there  whether  it  rains  or  snows.  I  think  you 
may  both  count  on  going  to  the  show  this  after- 
noon." 

"Oh,  what  fun!"  cried  Bunny. 

"Lots  of  fun!"  echoed  Sue. 

Then  out  they  ran  to  play  amid  the  swirling, 
white  flakes ;  and  it  is  hard  to  say  whether  they 
had  more  fun  in  the  first  snow  or  in  thinking 
about  the  play  they  were  to  see  in  the  Opera 
House  that  afternoon. 

At  any  rate  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue 
certainly  had  fun  playing  out  in  the  yard  of 
their  house  and  in  the  street  in  front.  At  first 
there  was  not  snow  enough  to  do  more  than 
make  slides  on  the  sidewalk,  and  the  little  boy 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  7 

Giving  a  Show 

and  girl  did  this  for  a  time.  They  made  two 
long  slides,  and  men  and  women  coming  along 
smiled  to  see  the  brother  and  sister  at  play.  But 
these  same  men  and  women  were  careful  not  to 
step  on  the  slippery  slides  made  by  Bunny 
Brown  and  his  sister  Sue,  for  they  did  not  want 
to  slip  and  fall. 

As  for  Bunny  and  Sue,  they  did  not  mind 
whether  they  fell  or  not.  Half  the  time  they 
were  tumbling  down  and  the  other  half  getting 
up  again.  But  they  managed  to  do  some  slid- 
ing, too. 

"Come  on  I"  cried  Bunny,  after  a  bit.  "There's 
enough  now  to  make  snowballs  1" 

"Could  we  make  a  snow  house,  too?"  asked 
his  sister. 

"No,  there  isn't  enough  for  that.  But  we 
can  make  snowballs  and  throw  'em!" 

"Don't  throw  any  at  me!"  begged  Sue. 
"  'Cause  if  you  did,  an'  the  snow  went  down  my 
neck,  it  would  melt  and  I'd  get  wet  an'  then  I 
couldn't  go  to  the  show  an'  you'd  be  sorry!" 

This  was  rather  a  long  sentence  for  Sue,  and 
she  was  a  bit  out  of  breath  when  she  had  fin- 
ished. 


8  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"No,  I  won't  throw  any  snowballs  at  you," 
promised  Bunny. 

"Oh,  here  come  Harry  Bentley  and  Charlie 
Star!"  exclaimed  Sue. 

"I'll  throw  snowballs  at  theml"  decided 
Bunny.  "Hi!"  he  called  to  two  of  his  boy 
chums.    "Let's  throw  snowballs!" 

"We're  with  you!"  answered  Charlie. 

"I'm  not  going  to  play  snowball  fight,"  de- 
cided Sue.  "I  see  Mary  Watson  and  Sadie 
West.    I'm  going  to  play  with  them." 

So  she  trotted  off  to  make  little  snow  dolls 
with  her  girl  friends,  while  Bunny,  with  Char- 
lie and  Harry,  threw  soft  snowballs  at  one  an- 
other. The  children  were  having  such  fun  that 
it  seemed  only  a  few  minutes  since  breakfast 
when  Mrs.  Brown  called: 

"Bunny!  Sue!  Come  in  and  get  washed  for 
lunch.  And  you  have  to  get  dressed  if  you're 
going  to  the  play!" 

"Oh,  we're  going,  sure!"  exclaimed  Bunny. 
/fAre  you?"  he  asked  Charlie  and  Harry. 

"Yes,"  they  replied,  and  when  Sue  ran  toward 
her  house  with  Bunny  she  told  her  brother  that 
Sadie  and  Mary  were  also  going  to  the  play 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  9 

Giving  a  Show 

that    afternoon    in    the    town    Opera    House. 

"Oh,  we'll  have  a  lot  of  fun!"  cried  Bunny. 
"Will  it  be  a  funny  play?"  he  asked  Uncle  Tad, 
who  had  promised  to  take  the  two  children. 

"Well,  I  guess  it'll  be  funny  for  you  two 
youngsters,"  was  the  answer  of  the  old  soldier. 
"But  I  guess  it  isn't  much  of  a  theatrical  com- 
pany that  would  come  to  Bellemere  to  give  a 
show  so  near  the  beginning  of  winter.  But  it 
will  be  all  right  for  boys  and  girls." 

"It's  a  show  for  the  benefit  of  our  Red  Cross 
Chapter,"  said  Mrs.  Brown.  "That's  why  I 
asked  you  to  take  the  children,  Uncle  Tad.  I 
have  to  be  with  the  other  ladies  of  the  commit- 
tee, to  help  take  tickets  and  look  after  things." 

"Oh,  I'll  look  after  Bunny  and  Sue!"  ex- 
claimed Uncle  Tad.  "I'll  see  that  they  have  a 
good  time!" 

Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue  were  so  ex- 
cited because  of  the  first  snow  storm  and  because 
of  thinking  of  the  play  they  were  to  see,  that 
they  could  hardly  dress.  But  at  last  they  were 
ready,  and  they  set  off  in  the  family  automobile, 
which  Uncle  Tad  drove.  Mrs.  Brown  went 
along  also,  but  Mr.  Brown  had  to  stay  at  the 


10  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

office.  The  office  was  at  the  dock  where  he 
owned  a  fish  and  boat  business. 

It  was  still  snowing,  and  the  ground  was  now 
quite  white,  when  the  automobile  drew  up  at 
the  Opera  House,  which  was  where  all  sorts  of 
shows  and  entertainments  were  given  in  Belle- 
mere,  the  home  of  the  Brown  family. 

"We  can  have  a  lot  more  fun  in  the  snow  to- 
morrow!" whispered  Sue,  as  she  and  her  brother 
passed  in,  Uncle  Tad  handing  the  tickets  to 
Mrs.  Gordon,  who  smiled  at  them.  She  was 
one  of  the  committee  of  ladies  who,  like  Mrs. 
Brown,  were  helping  with  the  entertainment. 
There  were  to  be  speeches  by  some  of  the  men 
of  Bellemere,  but  what  would  be  more  enjoy- 
able to  the  young  folks  was  the  performance  of 
a  number  of  vaudeville  actors  and  actresses,  said 
to  come  all  the  way  from  New  York. 

"There's  a  jiggler  who  holds  a  cannon  ball 
on  his  neck,"  whispered  Charlie  Star  to  Bunny, 
when  the  Brown  children  had  found  their  seats, 
which  were  near  those  of  some  of  their  friends. 

"He  means  a  juggler,"  said  George  Watson. 

"Yes,  that's  it — a  juggler,"  agreed  Charlie. 

"And  there  are  a  little  boy  and  girl  who  do 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  1 1 

Giving  a  Show 

tricks  and  sing,"  added  Mary  Watson.  "I  saw 
their  pictures." 

"Oh,  it'll  be  lovely!"  sighed  Sue.  "I  wish  it 
would  begin!" 

The  boys,  girls  and  grown  folks  were  still 
coming  in  and  taking  their  seats.  The  curtain 
hid  the  stage.  And  how  the  children  did  won- 
der what  was  going  on  behind  that  piece  of 
painted  canvas!  The  musicians  were  just  be- 
ginning to  "tune  up,"  as  Uncle  Tad  said.  The 
ushers  were  hurrying  to  and  fro,  seating  the 
late-comers.  One  of  the  men  who  worked  in 
the  Opera  House,  sweeping  it  out,  attending  to 
the  fires  in  winter,  and  sometimes  selling  tickets, 
got  a  long  pole  to  open  a  skylight  ventilator,  to 
let  in  some  fresh  air. 

Just  how  it  happened  no  one  seemed  to  know, 
but  suddenly  the  long  pole  slipped  and  there 
was  a  crash  and  tinkle  of  glass.  Nearly  every 
one  jumped  in  his  or  her  seat,  and  some  one 
cried: 

"Look  at  the  skylight!    It's  going  to  fall!" 

Bunny  Brown,  his  sister  Sue,  and  every  one 
else  looked  up.  True  enough,  something  had 
gone  wrong  with  the  skylight  the  man  had  tried 


12  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

to  open.  It  seemed  to  have  slipped  from  its 
place  in  the  frame  where  it  was  fastened  in  the 
roof,  and  the  big  window  of  metal  and  glass 
looked  as  though  about  to  fall  on  the  heads  of 
the  audience  directly  under  it. 

"Oh,  Bunny,  let's  run!"  cried  Sue.  "It's  go- 
ing to  drop  right  on  us!" 

And  truly  it  did  seem  so.  Slowly  the  big  sky- 
light was  slipping  from  its  fastenings,  and  sev- 
eral in  the  audience  screamed. 


CHAPTER  II 

"let's  give  A  SHOWl" 

JUST  when  it  seemed  as  if  a  bad  accident 
would  happen  and  that  some  one  would  be 
hurt  by  the  fall  of  the  roof-window,  the  man 
who  had  been  using  the  long  pole  thrust  it  under 
the  edge  of  the  sliding  skylight  and  held  it  there. 
Then  he  called : 

"I  have  it!  I  can  keep  it  from  falling  until 
somebody  gets  up  on  the  roof  and  fixes  it.  Hurry 
up,  though  1" 

"I'll  go  up  and  fix  it!"  said  another  usher. 
"Guess  the  first  snow  was  too  heavy  for  the  sky- 
light! Keep  still,  everybody  I"  he  added. 
"There's  no  danger  now!" 

The  man  had  to  shout  to  be  heard  above  the 
screams  of  the  frightened  and  excited  people, 
but  he  made  his  voice  carry  to  all  parts  of  the 
Opera  House,  and  finally  it  became  more  quiet. 
Then  a  man  stepped  from  behind  the  curtain 
and  stood  on  the  front  part  of  the  stage.  He 
held  up  his  hand  to  make  the  people  know  he 

13 


!14  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

wanted  them  to  be  quiet,  and  when  his  voice 
could  be  heard  he  said: 

"There  is  no  danger  now.  There  was  some, 
but  it  has  passed.  The  man  will  hold  the  sky- 
light in  place  until  it  can  be  fastened.  And 
while  he  is  doing  that  I  wish  those  who  are 
sitting  under  it  would  move  quietly  out  into  the 
aisles.  Don't  crowd  or  rush.  You  children  can 
pretend  it  is  like  the  fire  drill  you  have  at 
school." 

"Oh,  we  do  have  fire  drill  at  our  school,  don't 
we,  Bunny?"  cried  Sue,  in  a  rather  loud  voice. 
Her  words  carried  to  all  parts  of  the  theater  and 
many  laughed.  This  laugh  was  just  what  was 
needed  to  make  the  people  forget  their  fright, 
and  soon  the  place  directly  under  the  loosened 
skylight  was  clear.  Bunny  and  Sue,  with  Uncle 
Tad  and  their  boy  and  girl  chums,  moved  out 
into  the  aisle,  and  soon  the  men  began  the  work 
of  fastening  the  skylight  back  in  place.  And  you 
may  be  sure  they  fastened  it  tight. 

While  this  is  being  done  I  will  take  a  few 
moments  to  tell  my  new  readers  something 
about  the  two  Brown  children.  As  you  may  have 
guessed,  there  are  other  volumes  which  come 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  15 

Giving  a  Show 

before  this  one.  The  first  is  called  "Bunny 
Brown  and  His*  Sister  Sue." 

Bunny  and  Sue  lived  with  their  father  and 
mother  in  a  pretty  house  in  the  town  of  Belle- 
mere.  Bellemere  was  on  the  seacoast  and  also 
near  a  small  river.  Mr.  Brown  was  in  the  boat 
and  fish  business,  and  he  owned  a  dock,  or 
wharf,  on  the  bay  and  had  his  office  there.  He' 
had  many  men  to  help,  and  also  a  big  boy,  who 
was  almost  a  man.  The  big  boy's  name  was 
Bunker  Blue,  and  he  was  very  good  to  Bunny 
and  Sue.  Living  in  the  same  house  with  the 
Browns  was  Uncle  Tad.  He  was  Mr.  Brown's 
uncle,  but  Bunny  and  Sue  thought  they  owned 
just  as  much  of  the  dear  old  soldier  as  did  their 
father.  Besides  Uncle  Tad,  the  children  had 
other  relations.  They  had  a  grandfather  and  a 
grandmother,  and  also  an  aunt,  Miss  Lulu 
Baker,  who  lived  in  a  big  city. 

Bunny  and  Sue  Brown  had  many  friends  in 
Bellemere.  Besides  the  few  boys  and  girls  I 
have  mentioned  there  were  many  others.  And 
there  was  also  Jed  Winkler,  an  old  sailor  who 
owned  a  monkey,  and,  lately,  he  had  bought  a 
green  parrot  from  an  old  shipmate  of  his.    Jed 


[16  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Winkler  had  a  sister,  a  rather  cross  maiden  lady 
who  did  not  like  the  monkey  very  much.  And 
the  monkey,  whose  name  was  Wango,  seemed  to 
know  this,  for  he  was  always  playing  tricks  on 
Miss  Winkler. 

The  second  volume  of  the  series  is  called] 
"Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  on  Grand- 
pa's Farm."  There,  you  can  easily  imagine,  the 
little  boy  and  girl  had  lots  of  fun.  During 
their  visit  to  the  farm  they  got  up  a  circus,  and 
there  is  a  book  telling  all  about  it.  They  had 
a  real  tent,  which  their  grandfather  got  for 
them,  and  in  it  they  and  some  of  their  friends 
gave  a  very  funny  performance. 

When  Bunny  and  Sue  went  to  Aunt  Lu's  city 
home  they  had  many  wonderful  times,  and  when 
they  went  on  a  vacation  to  Camp  Rest-a-While 
so  many  things  happened  near  the  beautiful  lake 
that  the  children  never  tired  talking  about  them. 

It  was  after  the  children  had  spent  such  a 
happy  time  in  the  camp  that  they  went  to  the 
"Big  Woods,"  as  Bunny  and  Sue  called  them, 
and,  after  that,  their  father  and  mother  took 
them  on  an  auto  tour,  when  many  strange  things 
happened.    "Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  17 

Giving  a  Show 

and  Their  Shetland  Pony"  is  the  name  of  the 
book  just  before  the  one  you  are  reading  now, 
and  after  many  adventures  with  the  little  horse 
the  two  children  planned  for  winter  fun.  Go- 
ing to  the  show  in  the  Opera  House  was  part  of 
this  fun. 

It  did  not  take  very  long  for  the  man  who  had 
gone  up  to  the  roof  to  fix  the  broken  skylight. 
The  children  could  see  him  away  up  above 
their  heads  as  they  sat  in  the  theater,  or  stood 
there,  for  those  who  had  places  directly  under 
the  skylight  would  not  use  the  seats  until  the 
roof-window  was  fixed. 

"There!  It's  all  right  now,"  said  the  man  on 
the  stage.  "There  is  no  more  danger.  Take 
your  seats  and  the  show  will  begin." 

From  all  over  the  Opera  House  you  could 
have  heard  delighted  "Ohs!"  and  "Ahs!"  from 
the  children.  There  was  a  rustling  of  pro- 
grams, a  swish  of  skirts,  several  coughs,  and  one 
or  two  sneezes.  Then  the  fiddles  squeaked, 
there  was  rumble  and  boom  of  the  drums,  and 
the  orchestra  played  the  Star-Spangled  Banner. 

Every  one  stood  up  until  the  national  air  was 
ended  and  then  the  musicians  began  to  play  a 


18  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

dance  tune  which  was  so  lively  that  the  feet  of 
every  one,  old  and  young,  seemed  to  be  tapping 
the  floor. 

Then  came  a  pause,  the  lights  in  the  Opera 
House  were  turned  low,  and  at  last  the  curtain 
went  up.  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue  held 
tightly  to  the  arms  of  their  seats,  lest  they  might 
slip  out  during  the  excitement  that  was  to  fol- 
low. And  it  was  exciting  for  the  children,  as 
you  may  easily  guess. 

The  first  act  was  the  juggler,  or  the  "jiggler," 
as  one  of  the  boys  had  called  him.  He  placed 
a  pole  on  his  chin,  and  on  top  of  the  pole  a 
glass  of  water.  Then  with  three  balls  he  did  a 
number  of  odd  tricks. 

"And  all  the  while,  mind  you!"  exclaimed 
Bunny,  telling  his  father  about  it  afterward, 
"the  man  held  the  water  on  the  pole  on  his  chin 
and  he  didn't  drop  it  once." 

"Yes,  that  must  have  been  wonderful,"  said 
Daddy  Brown.  "If  he  had  dropped  the  pole 
he'd  have  broken  the  glass,  wouldn't  he?" 

"And  he  would  have  spilled  the  water,  too!" 
exclaimed  Bunny's  sister.  "And  it  was  real 
water!" 


Bunn*  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  19 

Giving  a  Show 

"No!"  cried  Mr.  Brown,  in  fun,  making  be- 
lieve he  didn't  believe  this. 

"Yes  it  was,  really!"  declared  Sue,  and 
Bunny  nodded  his  head  also. 

The  juggler  did  many  other  tricks,  even  toss- 
ing balls  up  into  the  air  and  letting  them  fall 
in  a  tall  silk  hat  he  wore.  The  hat  had  no 
crown  to  it,  but  it  had  a  funny  little  door,  or 
opening,  cut  in  front,  and  as  fast  as  the  juggler 
would  toss  the  rubber  balls  into  his  hat,  they 
would  roll  out  of  the  little  door  in  front.  My, 
how  the  children  did  laugh!  But  the  juggler 
never  even  smiled. 

The  next  act  was  that  of  an  old  man  who,  on 
the  programme,  was  called  an  "Impersonator." 

"What's  that  mean?"  asked  Bunny  of  Uncle 
Tad.    "Does  he  do  juggles  too?" 

"No,  he  dresses  up  like  some  persons  you  may 
have  seen  in  pictures.  He  pretends  he's  Gen- 
eral Washington,  or  the  President,  or  some  great 
soldier.  He  tries  to  look  as  much  like  these 
persons  as  he  can,  so  they  call  him  an  imperson- 
ator.   Watch,  and  you'll  see." 

When  the  "Impersonator"  came  out  on  the 
stage  he  did  not  look  like  any  one  but  himself. 


20  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

He  made  a  few  remarks,  but  Bunny  and  Sue  did 
not  pay  much  attention.  They  were  more  in- 
terested in  what  he  was  going  to  do.  The  man, 
who  wore  a  black  suit,  "like  the  minister's,"  as 
Mary  Watson  whispered  to  Sue,  suddenly 
stepped  over  to  a  little  table,  on  which  were 
two  electric  lights  and  a  looking  glass. 

The  children  could  not  see  exactly  what  the 
man  did.  They  noticed  that  his  hands  were 
working  very  quickly,  but  he  had  his  back 
toward  them.  All  at  once  his  black  hair  seemed 
to  turn  white,  and  in  a  moment  he  caught  up 
from  a  chair  a  coat  of  blue  and  gold;  he  slipped 
this  on.  Then  he  turned  suddenly  and  faced 
the  audience. 

"Oh,  it's  George  Washington!"  cried  a  boy, 
and  the  audience  laughed.  And,  to  tell  the 
truth,  the  man  on  the  stage  did  look  a  great  deal 
like  our  first  president,  as  you  see  him  in  pic- 
tures. The  man  had  put  a  white  wig  on  over 
his  black  hair,  and  had  put  on  the  kind  of  coat 
George  Washington  used  to  wear. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you  all  the  different 
persons  this  actor  made  up  to  appear  like,  but 
I  can  mention  only  a  few.    From  Washington 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  21 

Giving  a  Show 

he  turned  himself  into  Lincoln,  and  then  into 
Roosevelt.  Then  he  made  up  like  some  of  the 
French  and  English  generals,  and  afterward  he 
made  himself  look  like  General  Grant,  smoking 
a  cigar. 

Every  one  applauded  as  the  man  bowed  him- 
self off  the  stage.  There  was  a  thrill  of  excite- 
ment when  the  next  number  was  announced.  A 
little  girl  was  shown  on  the  stage.  She  did  not 
seem  much  older  than  Sue,  but  of  course  she 
was.  She  began  to  sing  in  a  sweet,  childish 
voice,  and  in  the  midst  of  her  song  a  boy  dressed 
in  a  suit  of  bright  spangles  suddenly  appeared 
from  the  side.  Without  a  word  the  boy  began 
turning  handsprings  and  somersaults  and  doing 
flipflops  in  front  of  the  girl. 

Suddenly  she  stopped  her  song,  stamped  her 
little  foot,  and  in  pretended  anger  cried: 

"What  do  you  mean  by  coming  out  here  and 
spoiling  my  singing  act?" 

"Why,  the  man  back  there,"  said  the  boy, 
pointing  behind  the  scenes,  "told  me  to  come 
out  here  and  amuse  the  people,"  and  he  seemed 
to  smile  right  at  Bunny  Brown  and  Sue. 

"He  told  you  to  come  out  and   amuse  the 


22  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

people,  did  he?  Well,  what  does  he  think  I'm 
doing?"  demanded  the  girl. 

"I  don't  know.  I  guess  he  thinks  maybe 
you're  making  'em  cry!"  was  the  boy  acrobat's 
grinning  answer. 

"Well,  I  like  that!  The  idea!"  exclaimed 
the  girl.  "I'm  going  right  back  and  tell  him  I 
won't  sing  another  song  in  this  show!  The 
idea!"  and  she  hurried  off  the  stage. 

"Oh,  won't  she  sing  any  more?"  whispered 
Sue  to  Uncle  Tad. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  soldier  with  a  smile. 
"That's  just  part  of  the  act — to  make  it  more 
interesting." 

"Now  that  she  is  out  of  the  way  I'll  have 
more  room  to  do  my  flipflops,"  said  the  boy  ac- 
robat, and  he  started  to  do  all  sorts  of  tricks. 
But,  just  as  Uncle  Tad  had  said,  the  girl  was 
only  pretending,  for  pretty  soon  she  came  back 
again  with  a  prettier  dress  on,  and  she  danced 
and  sang  while  the  boy  did  handsprings  to  the 
delight  of  Bunny  Brown,  his  sister  Sue,  and 
all  the  others  in  the  audience. 

I  haven't  room  to  tell  you  all  that  happened 
at  the  show  that  afternoon,  for  this  story  is  to 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  23 

Giving  a  Show 

be  about  a  show  Bunny  and  Sue  gave.  But  I 
will  just  say  every  one  liked  the  entertainment, 
and  when  Bunny  was  coming  out,  walking  be- 
hind Sue,  he  suddenly  said: 

"I  know  what  we  can  do!" 

"What?"  asked  the  little  girl. 

"Let's  give  a  show  ourselves — like  this!" 
Bunny  pointed  toward  the  stage. 

Sue  looked  at  Bunny  to  make  sure  he  was 
not  joking.    Then  she  answered  and  said : 

"We  will!    We'll  give  a  show  ourselves!" 


CHAPTER  III 

TALKING  IT  OVER 

One  evening  two  or  three  days  after  the  per- 
formance in  the  Opera  House,  where  Bunny 
and  Sue  had  so  much  enjoyed  the  impersonator, 
the  juggler,  the  boy  acrobat,  and  the  girl  singer, 
a  number  of  ladies  called  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Brown.  As  it  was  early  Bunny  and  Sue  had 
not  yet  gone  to  bed  so  they  could  hear  the  talk 
that  went  on. 

"I  think  we  did  very  well,  Mrs.  Brown,  said 
Mrs.  West,  the  mother  of  Sue's  playmate,  Sadie. 
"We  cleared  nearly  two  hundred  dollars  for  our 
Red  Cross  Chapter  from  the  Opera  House 
show." 

"That's  splendid!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown. 
"I  didn't  think  we  would  make  quite  so  much. 
But  we  could  use  still  more  money." 

"Yes,  if  we  had  more  money  we  could  do 
more  good,"  said  Mrs.  Bentley.  "I  don't  sup- 
pose we  could  have  another  performance  soon. 
The  people  would  not  come." 

24 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  25 

Giving  a  Show 

Bunny  and  Sue,  who  were  in  another  room 
looking  at  picture  books,  glanced  at  one  an- 
other. Then  they  smiled.  Bunny  slid  down 
off  his  chair,  followed  by  Sue. 

"Shall  we  tell  'em?"  asked  Bunny. 

"Yes,"  nodded  Sue. 

So  the  two  children  walked  slowly  into  the 
room  where  their  mother  and  the  other  ladies 
were  talking  about  the  Red  Cross  Society.  Mrs. 
Brown  was  just  saying  something. 

"No,"  she  remarked,  "I  hardly  believe  we 
could  arrange  to  give  another  show  right  away. 
It  would  be  too  much  like " 

"Mother!"  interrupted  Bunny,  speaking  in  a 
low  voice. 

"Yes,  Son!"  answered  Mrs.  Brown.  "But  run 
away  now,  dear.  Mother  is  very  busy.  I'll 
speak  to  you  in  just  a  minute." 

"But  we  want  to  talk  about  the  show, 
Mother,"  persisted  Bunny. 

"Oh,  but  I  haven't  time,"  said  Mrs.  Brown 
with  a  smile.  "You  saw  the  show,  and  that's 
enough.  Now  run  away,  like  a  good  boy.  And! 
you  and  Sue  must  soon  get  ready  for  bed." 

"But  it's  about  another  show,  Mother!"  in- 


26  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

sisted  Bunny.  "We  heard  what  you  said,  Sue 
and  I  did— and  we  want  to  help  you  get  more 
money.";  .«  *   . 

"Isn't  that  sweet  of  them-T  'exclaimed  Mrs. 
Bentley.      .  <  '  f 

"Well,  pur  Red  Cross  Chapter  certainly 
needs  money,"  remarked  Mrs.  .Brown,  with  a 
sigh;  "but  I'm  afraid  you  can't  help  us  any, 
Bunny." 

"Oh,  yes  we  can!"  said  Sue.  , 

"Why,  what  are  you  children  thinking  of?" 
asked  Mrs.  Brown,  in  some  surprise.  "How  can 
you  help  us  get  money  for  the  Red  Cross?" 
t  "By  a  show!"  cried  Bunny,  and  he  almost 
shouted  the  words  he  was  so  excited.  "That's 
what  we're  going  to  do,  Mother — give  a  show 
■ — me  and  Sue — I  mean  Sue  and  I,"  he  added 
quickly,  as  he  saw  his  mother  look  strangely  at 
him,  for  she  had  often  told  him  he  must  learn 
to  speak  correctly. 

"What  do  the  children  mean?"  asked  Mrs. 
Newton. 

"I'll  tell  you !"  went  on  Bunny,  speaking  very 
fast,  for  he  feared  he  and  Sue  would  be  sent  to 
bed  before  they  had  a  chance  to  explain.    "We 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  27 

'GiviijG^  Show 

thought  of  it  after  we  saw  the  show  in  the  Opera 
House.  We  boys  and  girls  can  get  up  a  show,  and 
we  can  charge  money  to  come  in.  We  had  a 
cjyrcus  once,  in  a  tent,  didn't  we,  Mother?"  and 
Sunny  appealed  to  Mrs.  Brown. 

"Yes,  they  once  gave  a  show  in  a  tent  at  their 
Grandpa's  farm,"  said  Mrs.  Brown.  "And  it 
was  quite  good,  too,  for  children.  But  I'm  afraid 
a  show  like  that,  given  in  town  here,  wouldn't 
bring  in  much  money  for  the  Red  Cross,  my 
dears,"  and  she  smiled  at  Bunny  and  Sue. 

"Oh,  we  weren't  going  to  give  a  show  like  the 
circus  one!"  declared  Bunny.  "This  will  be 
different!  We'll  have  some  singing,  like  the 
girl  did  in  the  Opera  House — I  guess  Sue  can 
sing.  And  I  can  do  some  somersaults,  like  those 
the  boy  did." 

"And  maybe  we  could  get  Uncle  Tad  to  dress 
up  like  General  Grant  or  Washington,"  added 
Sue. 

"They  have  it  all  thought  out!"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  West,  with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  but  that  isn't  all!"  said  Bunny.  "There's 
lots  of  other  things  we  can  do.  We  told  some  of 
the  boys  and  girls  about  it  and  they  want  to  be 


£8  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

in  it.  Please,  Mother,  couldn't  Sue  and  I  get  up 
a  show?" 

"No,  my  dears,  I  don't  believe  you  could," 
Mrs.  Brown  answered  with  another  smile.  "It 
is  very  good  of  you  to  want  to  help  the  Red 
Cross,  but  getting  up  a  show  is  very  hard  work. 
I  hardly  think  little  boys  and  girls  could  do  it." 

"If  ever  we  big  folks  get  up  another  show 
we'll  let  you  children  have  part  in  it,"  promised 
Mrs.  Star. 

"Oh,  but  we  want  to  give  a  show  of  our  own!" 
said  Bunny.  "And  I  guess  we  can,  too.  How 
much  does  it  cost  to  buy  the  Opera  House?"  he 
asked. 

"Oh,  you  don't  have  to  buy  it  to  give  a  show," 
said  Mrs.  West.  "It  can  be  hired  for  one  or  two 
nights.  But  when  are  you  going  to  give  your 
show?"  she  asked  Bunny. 

"Maybe  'bout  Christmas,"  he  said.  "Folks 
have  more  money  then,  and  we  could  get  more 
for  your  Red  Cross.  Please,  Mother,  mayn't 
we  give  a  show?" 

"Oh,  well,  I'll  see  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
more  with  the  idea  of  getting  Bunny  and  his 
sister  off  to  bed  than  because  she  really  thought 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  29 

Giving  a  Show 

they  could  ever  give  a  show.  She  had  an  idea 
they  would  forget  all  about  it  by  morning. 

"Oh,  goodie!"  cried  Sue,  for  when  her  mother 
said:  "I'll  see  about  it,"  it  generally  meant  that 
something  would  happen.  But  of  course  giving 
a  show  was  different,  even  though  Bunny  and 
Sue  had  once  held  a  circus.  You  may  read  about 
that  in  the  book  of  which  I  have  spoken. 

"Well,  trot  along  to  bed  now,  my  dears,"  said 
Mrs.  Brown.  "We  ladies  have  business  to  at- 
tend to.  We'll  talk  about  your  show  to-mor- 
row." 

"It's  going  to  be  a  fine  one,"  declared  Bunny. 
"I'm  going  to  learn  how  to  do  some  back  somer- 
saults like  that  boy's  on  the  stage." 

"Well,  be  careful  you  don't  get  hurt,"  begged 
Mrs.  West. 

"Cute  little  dears,  aren't  they,"  said  Mrs. 
Bentley,  as  Bunny  and  his  sister  Sue  went  out  of 
the  room. 

"I  should  think  they  would  keep  you  busy 
trying  to  guess  what  they  will  do  next,  Mrs. 
Brown,"  remarked  Mrs.  Star. 

"They  do,"  sighed  the  mother  of  Bunny 
Brown  and  his  sister  Sue.     But  she  smiled  as 


30  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

she  sighed,  for  her  little  boy  and  girl  never 
made  her  any  real  trouble. 

"Do  you  think  they  really  will  give  a  show?" 
asked  Mrs.  Bentley. 

"You  never  can  tell,"  was  Mrs.  Brown's  an- 
swer. "We  didn't  think  they'd  actually  give  a 
circus  performance,  but  they  did.  However,  a 
show  in  a  real  theater  is  quite  different,  and  I 
hardly  believe  Bunny  and  Sue  will  go  on  with 
the  idea." 

But  Bunny  and  Sue  did — at  least  they  started 
talking  it  over  the  first  thing  next  day,  and  when 
school  was  over  quite  a  gathering  of  boys  and 
girls  assembled  in  a  room  over  the  Brown 
garage. 

"Now,  girls  and  fellows,"  said  Bunny,  as  he 
stood  in  front  of  the  crowd  of  his  playmates, 
who  were  seated  on  old  boxes,  broken  chairs, 
and  other  things  stored  away  in  the  garage, 
"we're  going  to  get  up  a  show  to  make  money 
for  the  Red  Cross." 

"Do  you  mean  a  make-believe  show,  and 
charge  five  pins  to  come  in?"  asked  Harry  Bent- 
ley. 

"No,  I  mean  a  real  show,  like  in  a  theater. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  31 

Giving  a  Show 

and  charge  real  money,"  went  on  Bunny.  "Pins 
aren't  any  good  for  the  Red  Cross.  They  get 
all  the  pins  they  want.  They  need  money — my 
mother  said  so.  Now  we  could  get  up  a  regular 
acting  play — like  that  one  we  saw  at  the  Opera 
House.  We  could  have  some  singing  in  it,  and 
some  jiggling  and  some  of  us  could  do  tricks 
and  stand  on  our  heads." 

"Going  to  have  any  animals  in  it?"  one  boy 
wanted  to  know. 

"Yes,  we  could,"  answered  Bunny.  "They 
have  animals  on  the  stage  just  like  in  a  circus, 
only  it's  different,  of  course.  We  could  have 
our  dog  and  cat  in  it." 

"I've  got  a  goat!"  cried  another  boy.  "He 
butts  you  with  his  horns,  only  maybe  I  could 
cure  him  of  that." 

"We  could  use  Toby,  our  Shetland  pony," 
added  Sue.    "He  eats  sugar  out  of  my  hand." 

"And  we  could  have  my  trained  white  mice," 
said  Charlie  Star. 

"If  you  have  mice  in  it  I'm  not  going  to  play!" 
exclaimed  Sadie  West.  "I  don't  like  mice  at 
all!" 

"Neither  do  I !"  added  Jennie  Harris. 


32  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Well,  we  could  get  Mr.  Jed  Winkler's  par- 
rot, maybe,"  suggested  Bunny. 

"And  his  monkey  1"  some  one  added. 

"Oh,  yes  1"  cried  all  the  children. 

Suddenly  the  door  of  the  room  opened  ana* 
in  burst  Tom  Milton. 

"Sayl"  he  cried,  "Mr.  Jed  Winkler's  monkey  J 
is  loose  in  Mr.  Raymond's  hardware  store,  and  | 
you  ought  to  see  the  place!    Come  on!    Mr.  Jed 
Winkler's   monkey   is   loose    again!"    and    he 
jumped  up  and  down  he  was  so  excited. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CLIMBING  BOY 

Tom  Milton  had  been  invited  by  Bunny 
Brown  to  come  to  the  meeting  in  the  room  over 
the  garage  and  talk  about  the  play  which  Bunny 
and  his  sister  wanted  to  give.  But,  for  some 
reason  or  other,  Tom  had  not  come  with  the 
other  children.  Many,  including  Bunny,  had 
wondered  what  kept  Tom  away,  but  now,  when 
Tom  rushed  in  with  the  news  that  Mr.  Jed 
Winkler's  monkey  was  loose,  none  of  the  chil- 
dren thought  of  anything  but  the  long-tailed 
animal  with  his  funny,  wrinkled  face. 

"How'd  he  get  loose?"  asked  Bunny  Brown, 
as  he  jumped  down  off  a  box  on  which  he  had 
been  standing. 

"Did  he  hurt  any  one?"  asked  Sue. 

"Is  he  smashing  everything  in  Mr.  Ray- 
mond's store?"  Charlie  Star  wanted  to  know. 

"I  should  say  so!  You  ought  to  see!"  cried 
Tom.  "I  was  coming  past  on  my  way  here 
when  I  heard  a  lot  of  yells  and  saw  a  big  crowd 
in  front  of  the  store.    I  looked  in,  and  the  mon- 

33 


34  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

key  was  banging  a  frying  pan  on  a  coffee 
grinder  and  making  a  big  racket.  Mr.  Ray- 
mond was  trying  to  get  him  down  off  a  high 
shelf,  but  Wango  wouldn't  come.  Then  I  ran 
on  here  to  tell  you  about  it." 

"I'm  glad  you  did,"  said  Bunny  Brown. 
"We'll  have  this  meeting  again  after  we  see  the 
monkey,"  he  said.  "The  meeting  is — it's — er — 
well,  I  don't  know  what  it  is  my  mother  says 
when  her  meetings  are  stopped,  but  this  meeting 
about  the  show  we're  going  to  give,  is  stopped 
while  we  go  to  see  Mr.  Jed  Winkler's  monkey." 

"Oh,  won't  it  be  fun  to  see  him  drum  with  a 
frying  pan!"  exclaimed  Sue. 

"Maybe  he  won't  be  doing  that  when  we  get 
there,"  said  Tom  Milton.  "But  I  guess  he'll  be 
doing  something  just  as  good." 

"That  monkey  is  always  doing  something," 
declared  Charlie  Star.  "How'd  he  get  loose, 
Tom?" 

"Don't  know!" 

"Maybe  Miss  Winkler  let  him  loose,"  sug- 
gested Sadie  West.  "She  doesn't  like  Jed's 
monkey." 

"And  I  guess  she  doesn't  like  his  parrot  very 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  35 

Giving  a  Show 

much,  either.  It  makes  a  lot  more  noise  than 
her  canary  bird,"  said  Mary  Watson.  "I  was 
in  there  the  other  day,  and  the  parrot  screeched 
like  anything!" 

"Well,  come  on,  we'll  go  see  the  monkey!" 
called  Sue. 

There  was  a  scramble  among  the  children  for 
hats  and  coats,  for  the  weather  was  cold,  though 
there  had  been  no  more  snow  storms  since  the 
first  one.  As  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others  passed 
along  the  side  of  the  house  on  their  way  out  of 
the  yard,  Mrs.  Brown  called  to  them. 

"Where  are  you  going,  children?"  she  asked. 

"To  see  Mr.  Jed  Winkler's  monkey,"  an- 
swered Bunny. 

"Are  you  going  to  have  him  in  your  show?" 
Mrs.  Brown  wanted  to  know,  for  she  had  not 
forgotten  the  circus  the  children  once  gave. 

"We  were  talking  about  it,"  explained  Sue, 
"when  Tom  Milton  come  and  told  us  the  mon- 
key was  loose." 

"And  he  is  in  the  hardware  store,"  added 
Bunny.  "We're  going  to  see  him!"  he  cried,  his 
eyes  shining. 

"Well,  button  up  your  coats,  for  it's  cold5" 


36  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

warned  Mrs.  Brown.  "I  guess  this  will  be  the 
end  of  the  show  business,"  she  added  to  Mrs. 
Watson  who  had  stopped  in  for  a  few  minutes' 
talk.  "The  children  will  forget  all  about  their 
play  after  they  see  the  monkey.  And  I  shall  be 
just  as  well  pleased.  Their  circus  was  fun,  but 
it  meant  a  lot  of  work,  and  if  they  give  a  show,  as 
Bunny  and  Sue  talk  of  doing,  it  will  mean  more 
work." 

"I  don't  believe  they'll  do  it,"  answered 
Mrs.  Watson. 

But  she  hardly  knew  Bunny  Brown  and  his 
sister  Sue. 

On  to  the  hardware  store  hurried  the  group 
of  children.  As  soon  as  they  turned  the  corner 
of  the  street  leading  to  Mr.  Raymond's  place 
they  saw  a  crowd  in  front  of  the  store. 

"Oh,  come  on!  Hurry!"  cried  Bunny.  "May- 
be he'll  be  all  through  doing  things  when  we 
get  there!    Hurry!" 

The  boys  and  girls  began  to  run,  and  when 
they  reached  the  store  they  heard,  from  inside, 
a  clanging  and  crashing  sound. 

"I  guess  Wango  is  doing  things  yet!"  cried 
Sue. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  37 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  guess  so,"  agreed  Tom  Milton.  "Come  on, 
let's  go  in  the  side  door  and  we  can  see  better," 
he  proposed. 

Tom  seemed  to  know  the  best  way  to  this 
"free  show,"  and  he  led  the  others.  Bunny,  his 
sister,  and  their  boy  and  girl  friends  went  down 
a  little  alley,  and  thus  into  the  store  by  a  side 
entrance. 

As  they  stepped  into  the  hardware  place  there 
was  another  crash  of  pots  and  pans,  and  Sue 
cried : 

"Oh,  I  see  him!  He's  got  an  egg  beater  now 
in  one  paw!" 

"And  some  pie  pans  in  the  other!"  exclaimed 
Bunny. 

"Where  is  he?  I  don't  see  him!"  said  Mary 
Watson. 

"Right  up  on  the  shelf  by  the  cans  of  paint," 
replied  Bunny,  pointing.  "Say,  if  he  opens  any 
cans  of  paint  and  splashes  that  around  won't  it 
be  fun!"  he  laughed. 

"Hi  there,  Bunny  Brown!"  called  Mr.  Ray- 
mond, the  hardware  man,  when  he  heard  the 
little  boy  say  this.  "Don't  be  suggesting  such 
things!    That  monkey  might  hear  you  and  try 


38  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

it.  I  don't  want  my  store  all  splashed  up  with 
red  and  green  paint.  Come  on  down  now,  Wan- 
go!"  he  called,  snapping  his  fingers  at  the  old 
sailor's  queer  pet.  "Come  on  down,  and  I'll 
give  you  a  cookie." 

"I  guess  he'd  rather  have  a  cocoanut,"  sug- 
gested Sue.  "My  mother  has  some  cocoanut  for 
a  cake,  and  there's  a  picture  of  a  monkey  on  the 
paper,  and  he's  eating  cocoanuts." 

"But  I  haven't  any  cocoanut  to  offer  him," 
said  Mr.  Raymond.  "I  wish  Jed  Winkler 
would  come  and  get  his  old  monkey  down! 
Wango  would  come  to  him." 
,  "How'd  the  monkey  get  in  here?"  asked 
Bunny. 

"I  don't  know,"  confessed  Mr.  Raymond. 
"First  I  knew,  I  heard  the  lady  I  was  selling  a 
coffee  strainer  to  exclaim,  and  I  looked  up  and 
there  was  Wango  skipping  around  on  the 
shelves.  I  guess  Jed  must  have  left  a  window 
open  and  the  monkey  got  out,  though  he  doesn't 
generally  skip  around  outdoors  in  cold  weather. 
Then  he  must  have  come  along  the  street  until 
he  got  to  my  place,  and,  when  he  saw  the  door 
open,  in  he  popped.    Jed's  house  is  only  a  few 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  39 

Giving  a  Show 

steps  from  here.    But  I  wish  Jed  would  come 
and  get  his  Wango." 

"Here  he  is  now!"  cried  a  chorus  of  children's 
voices,  and,  looking  toward  the  front  of  his  store, 
Mr.  Raymond  saw  the  old  sailor  coming  in. 

"What's  all  the  trouble  here?"  asked  Mr. 
Winkler. 

"It's  your  monkey  again,  Jed,"  answered  Mr. 
Raymond.  "Lucky  my  place  isn't  a  china  store, 
or  you'd  have  a  lot  of  damages  to  pay  for  broken 
dishes.  As  it  is,  Wango  can't  break  any  of  my 
pots  and  pans,  though  he  certainly  is  mussing 
them  up  a  lot!" 

Well  might  this  be  said,  for,  as  the  hardware 
man  spoke,  the  monkey  leaped  from  one  shelf  to 
another  and,  in  so  doing,  knocked  down  a  lot 
of  tin  pans  which  fell  to  the  floor  with  a  clatter 
and  a  bang. 

"Can't  you  do  something  to  stop  him?"  cried 
Mr.  Raymond. 

"Well,  yes,  I  suppose  I  can,"  said  Mr.  Wink- 
ler slowly.  "I  didn't  know  he  was  loose  till  a 
minute  ago,  when  some  one  came  and  told  me. 
I  was  down  on  the  fish  dock,  talking  with  Bunk- 
er Blue.    But  I'll  get  Wango  down.    I'm  real 


3-0  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

glad  he  isn't  in  a  china  store,  for  he  surely  would 
break  things!  Here,  Wango!"  he  called,  hold- 
ing out  his  hand  to  the  monkey,  now  perched  on 
a  high  shelf.  "Come  on  down,  that's  a  good 
chap!    Come  on  down!" 

"He  doesn't  seem  to  want  to  come,"  suggested 
a  man  with  a  red  moustache. 

"Oh,  I'll  get  him.  He  needs  a  little  coaxing," 
returned  the  old  sailor.  "Come  on  down,  Wan- 
go!"  he  went  on. 

Wango  looked  at  the  egg  beater  he  held  in 
one  paw,  and  then,  seeing  the  little  handle 
which  turned  the  wheel,  he  began  to  twist  it.  To 
do  this  he  dropped  the  pie  pans  he  held  in  the 
other  paw  and  they  fell  to  the  floor  with  a  crash. 

"Land  goodness,  he  certainly  makes  noise 
enough!"  said  one  of  the  women  in  the  store, 
covering  her  ears  with  her  hands. 

Perched  above  the  heads  of  the  crowd,  and 
paying  no  attention  to  the  calls  of  Jed  Winkler, 
the  monkey  began  turning  the  egg  beater.  He 
seemed  to  like  that  most  of  all. 

"Maybe  he  thinks  it's  a  hand  organ,"  sug- 
gested Bunny  Brown,  and  the  people  in  the  store 
laughed. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  Jt 

Giving  a  Show 

"Come  on,  Wango!  Come  down!"  cried  Mr. 
Winkler,  but  the  monkey  would  not  leap  down 
from  the  high  shelf. 

"Guess  you'll  have  to  climb  up  and  get  him 
yourself,  Jed,"  suggested  Mr.  Reinberg,  who 
kept  the  drygoods  store  next  door.  He  had  run 
in,  together  with  other  neighboring  shopkeep- 
ers, to  see  what  the  excitement  was  about. 

"I  could  get  him  down  if  I  had  something  to 
coax  him  with,"  returned  the  old  sailor. 

"I  promised  him  a  cookie,"  said  Mr.  Ray- 
mond. 

"He'd  rather  have  a  piece  of  cake — cocoanut 
cake  would  be  best,"  went  on  Mr.  Winkler. 

"I'll  go  home  and  get  some,"  offered  Bunny 
Brown.  "My  mother  baked  a  cocoanut  cake 
yesterday,  and  I  guess  there's  some  left." 

"You  don't  need  to  go  all  the  way  back  to  your 
house  after  the  cake,"  said  Mrs.  Nesham,  who 
kept  a  bakery  across  the  street  from  the  hard- 
ware store.    "I'll  get  one  from  my  shelves." 

She  hurried  across  the  way,  and  soon  came 
back  with  a  large  piece  of  cocoanut  cake. 

"If  the  monkey  doesn't  take  it  I  wish  she'd 
give  it  to  me,"  said  Tom  Milton. 


£2  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Oh,  Wango  will  take  this  all  right,"  said 
Jed  Winkler.  "Here  you  are,  you  little  rascal!" 
he  called  to  his  pet.  "Come  down  and  see  what 
I  have  for  you."  He  held  up  the  piece  of  cake. 
Wango  saw  it  and  this  seemed  to  be  just  what  he 
wanted.  He  dropped  the  egg  beater,  which  fell 
to  the  floor  with  another  clatter  and  clang,  and 
then  the  monkey  began  climbing  down  the 
shelves. 

He  had  almost  reached  the  old  sailor,  his  mas- 
ter, when  the  front  door  of  the  hardware  store 
opened  to  allow  a  new  customer  to  come  in. 
Whether  this  frightened  Wango,  or  whether 
he  thought  he  had  not  yet  had  enough  fun,  no 
one  knew.  But  instantly  he  snatched  the  piece 
of  cake  from  Mr.  Winkler's  hand,  and,  holding 
it  in  his  paw,  skipped  out  the  door. 

"There  he  goes!"  cried  Bunny  Brown.  "He's 
loose  again!" 

"And  he's  up  in  a  tree  out  in  front!"  added 
Tom  Milton,  who  had  rushed  out  ahead  of  the 
others  in  the  store. 

Surely  enough,  when  the  crowd  got  outside, 
there  was  Wango  perched  high  in  a  big,  leafless 
tree,  eating  cake. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  43 

Giving  a  Show 

"Well,  how  are  you  going  to  get  him  down 
out  of  there?"  asked  Mr.  Snowden. 

"Looks  as  if  I'd  have  to  climb  after  him," 
said  Mr.  Winkler.  "When  I  was  a  sailor  on  a 
ship,  and  had  Wango  for  a  pet,  he  used  to  climb 
up  the  mast  and  rigging  and  I'd  go  after  him. 
That  was  when  I  was  younger.  I  don't  believe 
I  could  climb  that  tree  and  get  him  now." 

"Do  you  want  me  to  do  it  for  you,  mister?" 
asked  a  new  voice. 

Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  other  children  turned  to 
see  who  had  spoken.  They  saw  a  boy  about 
twelve  years  old,  with  bright,  shining  eyes  stand- 
ing beside  Mr.  Winkler  and  pointing  up  at  the 
monkey  in  the  tree.  The  strange  boy  seemed  to 
have  arrived  on  the  scene  very  suddenly. 

"Do  you  want  me  to  climb  the  tree  and  get 
your  monkey  for  you?"  asked  the  boy.  "I'll  do 
it,  if  he  doesn't  bite." 

"Oh,  he  doesn't  bite — Wango  is  very  gentle," 
said  Mr.  Winkler.  "But  can  you  climb  that 
high  tree?" 

"I've  climbed  higher  ones  than  that,"  was  the 
answer.  "And  ropes  and  poles  and  the  sides  of 
buildings.     I   can  climb  almost  anything  if   I 


44  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

can  get  a  hold.  I'll  go  up  and  get  the  monkey 
for  you!" 

As  he  spoke  he  took  off  his  coat;  and  though 
the  day  was  cold  Bunny  noticed  that  the  strange 
boy  wore  no  overcoat.  Hanging  his  jacket  on  a 
low  limb  of  the  tree  which  held  Wango,  the  boy 
began  to  climb.  And,  as  he  did  so,  Sue  pulled 
her  brother's  sleeve. 

"Do  you  know  who  that  is?"  she  whispered. 

"Who?"  asked  Bunny  Brown. 

"That  boy  climbing  the  tree.  Don't  you 
'member  him?" 

"No.    Who  is  he?" 

"Why,  he's  the  boy  who  turned  somersaults 
in  the  Opera  House  show!" 


THERE  WAS  WANGO  PERCHED  HIGH  ON  A  BIG  TREE. 
Bunny  lircr.vn  and  His  Sister  Sue  Giving  a  Show.  Page  42 


CHAPTER  V 

A  COLD  LITTLE  SINGER 

BUNNY  BROWN  was  so  excited  in  watching  to 
see  how  the  strange  boy  would  climb  up  and  get 
the  monkey  that,  at  first,  he  paid  little  attention 
to  what  Sue  said.  The  boy  by  this  time  was  be- 
ginning to  scramble  up  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 
Sitting  on  a  branch,  high  above  the  lad's  head, 
was  Wango  the  monkey,  eating  the  piece  of 
cake. 

"It's  the  very  same  boy,  I  know  it  is!"  de- 
clared Sue. 

"What  same  boy?"  asked  Sadie  West,  while 
the  other  boys  and  girls  watched  the  climber. 

"The  same  one  who  was  with  the  little  girl 
that  sang  songs  in  the  Opera  House  show.  Don't 
you  remember,  Bunny?"  asked  Sue. 

This  time  Bunny  not  only  heard  what  his  sis- 
ter said,  but  he  paid  some  attention  to  her.  And, 
noting  that  the  climbing  boy  was  half  way  up 
the  tree  now,  Bunny  turned  to  Sue  and  asked 
her  what  she  had  said. 

"This  is  the  number  three  time  I  told  you," 
45 


S-6  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

she  answered,  shaking  her  head.  "That's  the 
boy  from  the  show  in  the  Opera  House!" 

Bunny  looked  closely  at  the  climbing  lad. 

"Why,  so  it  is!"  he  cried.  "Look,  Charlie- 
Harry — that's  the  acrobat  from  the  show!" 

The  boy  in  the  tree  was  in  plain  sight  now, 
over  the  heads  of  the  crowd,  as  he  made  his  way 
upward  from  limb  to  limb,  and  several  of  Bun- 
ny's chums  were  sure  he  was  the  same  lad  they 
had  seen  in  the  show. 

"But  what's  he  doing  here?"  asked  Bunny. 
"Mother  read  in  the  paper  that  the  same  show 
we  saw  here  was  traveling  around  and  was  in 
Wayville  last  night.  I  wonder  why  that  boy  is 
here?" 

"And  where's  his  sister  that  sang  such  funny 
little  songs?"  inquired  Sadie  West. 

"We'll  ask  him  when  he  comes  down,"  sug- 
gested George  Watson,  who  used  to  be  a  mean, 
tricky  boy,  making  a  lot  of  trouble  for  Bunny 
and  Sue.    But,  of  late,  George  had  been  kinder. 

Higher  and  higher,  up  into  the  tree  went  the 
"show  boy,"  as  the  children  called  him.  Wango 
still  was  perched  on  the  limb  of  the  tree,  eating 
his  cake.     He  did  not  climb  higher  or  try  to 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  47 

Giving  a  Show 

leap  to  another  tree,  as  Jed  Winkler  said  he  was 
afraid  his  pet  might  do. 

Up  and  up  went  the  boy,  and  a  moment  later 
he  was  calling  in  a  kind  and  gentle  voice  to  the 
monkey  and  holding  out  his  hands. 

"Come  on,  old  fellow!  Come  on  down  with 
me!"  invited  the  climbing  boy.  "They  want  you 
down  below!    Come  on!" 

Whether  Wango  was  tired  of  his  tricks,  or 
whether  he  had  eaten  all  his  cake  and  thought 
the  only  way  he  could  get  more  was  by  coming 
down  as  he  was  invited,  no  one  stopped  to  figure 
out.  At  any  rate  the  old  sailor's  pet  gave  a 
Iriendly  little  chatter  and  then  advanced  until 
he  could  perch  on  the  boy's  shoulder,  which  he 
did,  clasping  his  paws  around  the  lad's  neck. 

"That's  the  way!  Now  we'll  go  down!"  said 
the  boy. 

"He's  got  him!  He's  got  your  monkey,  Mr. 
Winkler!"  cried  the  children  standing  beneath 
the  tree. 

"He's  a  good  climber — that  boy!"  said  the 
old  sailor.  "He's  as  good  a  climber  as  I  used  to 
be  when  I  was  on  a  ship." 

Down  came  the  boy  with  the  monkey  on  his 


£8  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

shoulder.  Of  course  Wango  himself  could  have 
climbed  down  alone  had  he  wished  to,  but  he 
didn't  seem  to  want  to  do  this — that  was  the 
trouble. 

"There  you  are!"  exclaimed  the  boy,  as  he 
slid  to  the  ground,  and  walked  over  to  Mr. 
Winkler,  with  Wango  still  perched  on  his  shoul- 
der.   "Here's  your  monkey!" 

"Much  obliged,  my  boy,"  said  the  old  sailor. 
"It  was  very  good  of  you.  Do  you — er — do  I 
owe  you  anything?"  and  he  began  to  fumble  in 
his  pocket  as  if  for  money,  while  Wango  jumped 
from  the  lad's  back  to  the  shoulder  of  his  mas- 
ter. 

"No,  not  anything.  I  did  it  for  fun,"  was  the 
laughing  answer.  "I'm  used  to  climbing  and 
that  sort  of  thing.    I  like  it!" 

"Didn't  you  used  to  be  in  the  show  that  was 
in  the  Opera  House  here  last  week?"  asked 
Harry  Bentley. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  boy,  as  he  put  on  his 
coat.    "I  was  with  the  show." 

"Why  aren't  you  with  it  now?"  asked  Bunny. 

"And  where's  your  sister — the  one  that  sang?" 
added  Sue. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  49. 

Giving  a  Show 

The  boy's  face  turned  red,  and  he  seemed  to 
be  confused. 

"Well,  we — er — I — that  is  we  left  the  show," 
he  said.  "Maybe  I  ought  to  say  that  the  show 
left  us.  It  'busted  up,'  as  we  say.  There  wasn't 
enough  money  to  pay  the  actors,  and  so  we  all 
had  to  quit." 

"That's  too  bad,"  said  Jed  Winkler.  "It  was 
a  pretty  good  show,  too.  But  say,  my  boy,  I  feel 
that  I  owe  you  something  for  having  gotten  my 
monkey  down  out  of  the  tree.  If  you  haven't 
been  paid  by  the  show  people,  perhaps — may- 
be  " 

"Oh,  no,  thank  you!  I  don't  take  pay  for 
doing  things  like  climbing  trees  after  pet  mon- 
keys," was  the  answer.  The  boy  started  to 
laugh,  but  he  did  not  get  very  far  with  it.  "You 
don't  owe  me  anything.  And  now  I  must  go 
and  get  my  sister,"  he  added. 

"Where  did  you  leave  her?"  asked  Mrs. 
[Newton,  one  of  the  ladies  who  had  been  in  the 
store  when  the  monkey  began  "cutting  up." 

"I  left  her  sitting  on  a  bench  in  the  little  park 
jdown  near  the  river  front,"  answered  the  boy. 

"That's  a  cold  place!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  New- 


50  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

ton.  "Why  don't  you  take  her  where  it's 
warm?" 

"Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  don't  know 
where  to  take  her,"  said  the  boy.  "We  just  had 
money  enough  left  to  pay  our  trolley  fare  from 
a  place  called  Wayville,  where  we  played  last 
night,  to  this  town.  We  thought  we'd  come 
back  here." 

"To  give  another  show?"  asked  the  hardware 
man. 

"No,  I  guess  our  show  is  gone  for  good,"  was 
the  boy's  answer.  "But  I  sort  of  liked  this  place, 
and  so  did  my  sister.  I  thought  I  might  get 
work  here,  at  least  until  I  could  make  money 
enough  to  go  back  to  New  York." 

"Got  any  folks  in  New  York?"  asked  Mr. 
Winkler,  as  he  stroked  the  head  of  his  pet  mon- 
key. 

"Well,  no,  not  exactly  folks,"  replied  the  show 
boy,  as  he  brushed  some  bits  of  bark  from  his 
trousers.  "But  it's  easier  to  get  a  place  with  a 
show  if  you're  in  New  York.  They  all  start 
out  from  there." 

"That  boy  looks  to  me  as  though  the  best 
place  for  him,  right  now,  would  be  at  a  table 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  51 

Giving  a  Show 

with  a  good  meal  on  it,"  said  Mrs.  Newton. 
"He  looks  hungry  and  cold." 

"He  does  that,"  agreed  Mrs.  Brown,  who  had 
followed  Bunny  and  Sue  to  see  that  they  did  not 
get  into  mischief.  "I'm  going  to  invite  him  to 
our  house."  She  stepped  up  closer  to  the  lad 
who  had  got  the  monkey  down  out  of  the  tree, 
and  asked:  "Wouldn't  you  like  to  come  home 
with  me  and  have  something  to  eat?" 

The  boy's  face  flushed  and  his  eyes  bright- 
ened. 

"Thank  you,"  he  said.  "I  really  am  hungry. 
I'll  be  glad  to  work  for  a  meal.  There  wasn't 
money  enough  for  breakfast  and  car  fare  too, 
but  I  thought  there  was  a  better  chance  for 
work  here  than  in  Wayville,  and  so  my  sister 
and  I  came  on." 

"And  where  did  you  say  she  was?"  asked 
Mrs.  Brown. 

"I  left  her  sitting  in  the  little  park  down  by 
the  water  front,  while  I  came  up  into  the  town 
to  look  for  work.  Then  I  saw  the  crowd  around 
the  tree  and " 

"Poor  little  girl!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown. 
"Now,  you  two  are  coming  home  with  me!" 


52  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

she  went  on.  "We'll  talk  about  work  later. 
Come  along,  my  boy.  IVe  got  children  of  my 
own,  and  I  know  what's  good  for  'em.  Take 
me  to  where  you  left  your  sister.  And  don't  all 
of  you  come,  or  you  might  bother  the  poor 
child,"  she  added,  as  she  saw  the  crowd  about 
to  follow.    "I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  later." 

"Can't  we  come,  Mother?"  asked  Bunny 
Brown. 

"Yes,  you  and  Sue  come  with  me.  Mrs.  New- 
ton," she  went  on,  turning  to  a  fat  lady,  "I  wish 
you'd  go  to  my  house  and  start  to  get  something 
ready  for  these  starved  ones  to  eat.  I'll  be  right 
along  with  them." 

"And  I'll  take  my  monkey  back  home,"  said 
Jed  Winkler.  "My  sister  might  be  worried 
about  him,"  and  he  smiled  as  the  crowd 
laughed,  for  it  was  well  known  that  Miss  Wink- 
ler did  not  like  Wango,  though  she  was  not  un- 
kind to  him. 

"Now  show  me  where  your  sister  is,"  said 
Mrs.  Brown  to  the  boy,  as  she  walked  along 
with  him  and  her  own  two  children.  "By  the 
way,  what's  your  name?" 

"Mart  Clayton,"  he  answered.    "That's  my 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  53 

Giving  a  Show 

real  name,  but  my  sister  and  I  sometimes  have 
stage  names.    Her  real  one  is  Lucile." 

"That's  a  nice  name,"  said  Sue.  "I  like  it 
better'n  mine.    Your  sister  sings,  doesn't  she?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  boy.  "There  she  is, 
now!"  he  added,  pointing  to  a  bench  in  a  little 
park  that  was  not  far  from  Mr.  Brown's  boat 
and  fish  dock. 

"The  poor,  cold  little  singer!"  murmured 
Mrs.  Brown.    "I  must  take  care  of  them  both!" 

When  they  approached  the  bench  the  girl, 
who  was  about  a  year  younger  than  her  brother, 
looked  up  in  surprise. 

"Did  you  find  any  work?"  she  asked  Mart 
eagerly. 

"Well,  no,  not  exactly,"  he  answered. 

The  girl  seemed  much  disappointed. 

"But  we're  going  to  eat!"  he  added.  "This 
lady  has  invited  us  to  her  house.  After  that  I'll 
have  a  chance  to  look  around  and  get  a  job  to 
earn  money  to  pay  her  and  take  us  back  to  New 
York." 

"Oh,  you  are  the  guests  of  Bunny  and  Sue  for 
the  meal.  Guests  don't  pay,"  Mrs.  Brown  said, 
smiling  at  the  strangers. 


54  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Lucile.  "That  is — it's  very 
kind  of  you,"  she  said. 

"You  poor  thing  1  You're  coldl"  exclaimed 
Bunny's  mother.  "No  wonder,  sitting  here 
without  a  jacket!    Where's  your  cloak?" 

"I — I  guess  it's  with  our  other  baggage,"  was 
the  girl's  answer.  "The  boarding  house  kept 
it  because  we  couldn't  pay  the  bill  when  the 
show  failed!"  and  tears  came  into  her  eyes. 

"Never  mind!  We'll  look  after  you,"  said 
motherly  Mrs.  Brown.  "Come  along,  Bunny 
and  Sue.  Mrs.  Newton  will  be  at  our  house  by 
this  time." 

As  the  five  of  them  started  down  the  street 
Bunny  stopped  suddenly. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  his  mother. 

"I — I  forgot  something,"  he  said.  "I've  got 
to  see  Mr.  Winkler  I"  and  he  started  off  on  a 
run. 


CHAPTER  VI 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON 

Mart  Clayton,  the  boy  who  had  climbed 
the  tree  to  get  down  Mr.  Winkler's  monkey, 
looked  first  at  funny  Bunny  Brown,  who  was 
trotting  downstreet,  and  then  he  looked  at  Bun- 
ny's mother. 

"Shall  I  run  after  him  and  bring  him  back?" 
asked  Mart. 

"O,  no.  Bunny  will  come  back  if  I  call  him," 
was  the  answer.  "But  I  wonder  why  he  is  in 
such  a  hurry  to  see  Mr.  Winkler?  I'll  find  out," 
she  went  on.  Then,  making  her  voice  louder, 
she  called:  "Bunny,  come  back  here,  please, 
come  back." 

"But,  Mother,  I've  got  to  see  Mr.  Winkler!" 
exclaimed  Bunny,  as  he  paused  and  turned 
around.    "It's  about  our  show." 

"That  will  keep  until  later,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown  with  a  smile.  "I  want  you  to  come  back 
with  me  now  and  help  entertain  the  company," 
and  she  smiled  and  nodded  to  Mart  and  Lucile 
Clayton. 

55 


56  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Oh,  yes.  I — I  didn't  mean  to  be  impolite," 
said  Bunny,  as  he  walked  slowly  back.  "But  I 
wanted  to  ask  Mr.  Winkler  if  we  could  have  his 
monkey  in  our  show." 

"Oh,  are  you  going  to  have  a  show?"  asked 
Lucile,  as  she  walked  along  with  Sue,  while 
Mrs.  Brown,  Bunny  and  Mart  followed. 

"Yes!"  exclaimed  Bunny,  who  heard  the  ques- 
tion. "We  had  a  circus  once,  and  we  made 
some  money.  And  after  we  saw  the  Opera 
House  show  you  were  in,  we  wanted  to  have 
one  ourselves.  So  we're  going  to  get  one  up. 
Sue  can  sing  and  I  can  turn  somersaults.  Not  as 
good  as  you,  of  course,"  he  said  to  Mart.  "And 
one  boy  has  some  trained  white  mice  and  if  we 
could  get  Mr.  Winkler's  monkey  and " 

"And  his  parrot!  He's  got  a  parrot,  too!" 
exclaimed  Sue. 

"Yes,  if  he'll  let  us  have  the  parrot  we  could 
have  a  dandy  show!"  agreed  Bunny. 

"I  hope  it  will  be  a  better  show  than  the  one 
we  were  in,"  said  Mart,  with  a  sad  little  smile. 
"It  isn't  any  fun  to  go  traveling  with  a  troupe 
and  then  have  it  'bust  up'  on  the  road  as  ours 
did." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  $7 

Giving  a  Show 

"Aren't  you  children  very  young  to  be  travel- 
Brown.  "Haven't  you  any — well,  any  folks  at 
all?" 

She  did  not  like  to  mention  "father  or 
mother,"  for  fear  both  parents  might  be  dead 
and  to  speak  of  them  might  cause  sorrow  to 
Mart  and  Lucile.  But  surely,  Mrs.  Brown 
thought,  the  boy  and  girl  ought  to  have  some  one 
to  look  after  them. 

"Oh,  we  weren't  exactly  alone,"  said  Lucile, 
who  was  not  as  old  as  her  brother.  "We  were 
like  one  big  family  until  the  show  failed.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jackson  were  in  charge,  and  Mrs. 
Jackson  was  very  good  to  us.  But  people  didn't 
seem  to  like  our  performance,  and  we  didn't 
make  enough  money  to  keep  on  playing." 

"I  liked  your  show,"  said  Bunny. 

"So  did  I !"  exclaimed  his  sister  Sue.  "It  was 
grand." 

"Yes,  if  we  had  done  as  well  everywhere  as 
we  did  in  this  town  I  guess  we'd  have  been  all 
right,"  said  Mart.  "But  we  didn't.  We  got 
stranded  in  Wayville — that's  the  next  largest 
town  to  this,  I  heard  some  one  say,  and  we 
couldn't  go  any  farther.    Some  of  our  baggage 


58  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

had  to  go  to  pay  bills.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson 
left  us  at  a  boarding  house  while  they  went  to 
New  York  to  see  if  they  could  raise  money." 

"But  I  guess  they  couldn't,"  added  his  sister. 
"Anyhow  they  didn't  come  back,  and  we  didn't 
have  any  money.  So  the  boarding  house  lady 
kept  what  few  things  we  had  left,  and  Mart  and 
I  came  away." 

"I  made  up  my  mind  I'd  have  to  do  some- 
thing," went  on  the  climbing  boy,  as  Bunny  and 
Sue  thought  of  him.  "I'm  strong,  and  if  I 
could  get  work  I'd  soon  earn  enough  money  to 
take  me  and  my  sister  back  to  New  York.  Per- 
haps you  could  tell  me  where  I  could  get  a  job," 
he  added  to  Mrs.  Brown. 

"We'll  talk  about  that  after  you  get  warm 
and  have  had  something  to  eat,"  said  she. 

"Yes,  maybe  that  would  be  better,"  agreed 
Mart.  "It  makes  you  feel  sort  of  funny  not  to 
eat." 

"I  know  it  does,"  put  in  Bunny.  "Once  Sue 
and  I  went  to  Camp  Rest-a-While,  and  we  got 
lost  in  the  woods,  and  we  didn't  have  anything 
to  eat  for  a  terrible  long  while." 

"It  was  'most  all  day,"  sighed  Sue.     "And 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  59 

Giving  a  Show 

we  were  terrible  glad  when  daddy  and  mother 
found  us!" 

"I  should  say  you  were — well,  very  glad," 
laughed  her  mother.  "But  here  we  are  at  our 
house.  Now  come  in,  Lucile  and  Mart,  and 
make  yourselves  at  home." 
i  "And  after  you  get  warm,  and  have  had  some- 
thing to  eat,  maybe  you'll  tell  us  about  how  to 
get  up  a  show  in  a  theater — not  one  in  a  tent 
like  a  circus,"  suggested  Bunny. 

"Yes,  we'll  help  you  all  we  can,"  promised 
Lucile. 

Mrs.  Newton,  coming  to  the  Brown  house 
ahead  of  the  others,  had  got  a  nice  lunch  ready, 
and  from  the  way  Mart  and  his  sister  sat  down 
to  it  and  ate  it  was  evident  that  they  were  very 
hungry.  It  was  nice  and  warm  in  the  Brown 
house,  too,  and  the  children  from  the  vaudeville 
troupe  seemed  to  like  to  be  near  the  fire. 

"Now  if  you  have  had  enough  to  eat,  perhaps 
you  will  tell  me  a  little  bit  more  about  your- 
selves," suggested  Mrs.  Brown,  when  the  two 
visitors  were  ready  to  leave  the  table.  "I  want 
to  help  you,"  she  went  on,  "and  I  can  best  do 
that  if  I  know  more  about  you.     My  husband 


60  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

is  in  the  boat  and  fish  business  here  in  Belle- 
mere,"  she  said,  "and  though  he  is  not  as  busy- 
in  winter  as  he  is  in  summer,  he  may  find  work 
for  you,"  she  added  to  Mart. 

"I  hope  he  can!"  said  the  boy.  'Well,  I'll 
tell  you  about  myself  and  my  sister.  You  see  we 
come  of  a  theatrical  family.  Our  father  and 
mother  were  in  the  show  business  up  to  the  time 
they  died." 

"Oh,  then  your  father  and  mother  are  dead?" 
asked  Mrs.  Brown  kindly. 

"Yes,"  went  on  Lucile.  "We  hardly  remem- 
ber them  as  they  died  when  we  were  little.  We 
were  brought  up  by  our  uncle  Simon  and  Aunt 
Sallie.  They  were  in  the  show  business,  too,  and 
they  traveled  under  several  different  names. 

"Sometimes  we  traveled  with  them,  and  again 
we'd  be  off  on  the  road  by  ourselves.  But  when- 
ever we  went  alone  that  way  Uncle  Simon 
would  always  get  some  one,  like  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jackson,  to  look  after  us  and  take  charge  of  us. 
So  we  didn't  have  it  so  hard  until  Uncle  Simon 
and  Aunt  Sallie  went  away." 

"Went  away!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown. 
"Where  did  they  go?" 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  61 

Giving  a  Show 

"That's  what  we  can't  find  out,"  answered 
Mart.  "They  left  their  address  for  us  with  Mr. 
Jackson,  but  he  lost  it,  and  now  we  don't  know 
where  our  uncle  and  aunt  are." 

"But  surely  some  one  knows!"  said  Mrs.  New- 
ton. 

"Well,  yes,  I  guess  Uncle  Bill  knows,  but  we 
can't  find  him,"  said  Mart. 

"You  seem  to  belong  to  a  lost  family!"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Brown,  with  a  smile.  "Who  is 
Uncle  Bill,  and  where  is  he?" 

"We  don't  know  where  he  is,  but  he's  blind," 
put  in  Lucile.  "The  last  we  heard  of  him  he 
was  going  to  some  Home  for  the  Blind,  or  to 
some  hospital  to  be  cured.  But  we  don't  know 
where  he  is.  If  we  could  find  him  he'd  have 
Uncle  Simon's  address,  for  Uncle  Simon  used 
to  always  write  to  Uncle  Bill.  Of  course  Uncle 
Bill  had  to  get  some  one  to  read  the  letters  to 
him.  But  we  haven't  seen  either  of  our  uncles 
for  a  long  time." 

"You  poor  children!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown. 
"This  is  too  bad!  We  must  see  what  we  can  do 
to  help  you.  Where  do  you  think  your  Uncle 
Simon  and  Aunt  Sallie  went  to?"  she  asked. 


62  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"It  was  over  to  England  or  France,  or  some 
place  like  that,"  answered  Mart.  "It  was  just 
before  the  war  started,  and  maybe  their  ship 
was  sunk.  Anyhow,  we  haven't  heard  from 
them  since  then,  and  Mr.  Jackson  lost  their  ad- 
dress," he  added. 

"But  your  Uncle  Simon  knew  where  Mr. 
Jackson  was,  didn't  he?"  asked  Mrs.  Newton 
with  interest. 

"Well,  maybe  he  did  and  maybe  he  didn't," 
answered  Mart.  "You  see  Mr.  Jackson  and  his 
wife  travel  about  a  lot.  Lots  of  times  letters 
get  lost,  so  Uncle  Simon  may  have  written  about 
us,  and  Mr.  Jackson  might  never  have  got  the 
letter." 

"Yes,  that's  so,"  agreed  Mrs.  Brown.  "Well, 
when  my  husband  comes  home  we'll  talk  with 
him  and  see  what  is  best  to  do.  You  had  better 
stay  here  until  then  and  make  yourselves  at 
home.  Hark!  There's  the  doorbell." 
I  "Who  do  you  suppose  that  is,  Mother?"  asked 
Sue. 

"I  can't  tell  that,  Sue,  from  here." 

"I'll  go  and  see  who  it  is,  Mother,"  offered 
Bunny,  as  he  ran  through  the  hall.    The  others 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  63 

Giving  a  Show 

heard  the  front  door  open  and  the  sound  of  a 
man's  voice  mingling  with  that  of  Bunny's.  In 
a  moment  the  little  fellow  came  running  back. 

"Who  is  it?"  asked  his  mother. 

"General  Washington,"  was  the  surprising 
answer. 


CHAPTER  VII 
"down  on  the  farm" 

For  a  moment  Mrs.  Brown  did  not  know 
whether  to  laugh  at  Bunny  for  playing  a  joke 
or  to  tell  him  he  must  not  do  such  things  when 
there  were  visitors  at  the  house.  But  Bunny 
looked  so  serious  that  his  mother  thought  per- 
haps he  did  not  mean  to  be  funny. 

"Who  is  it?"  she  asked  again. 

"General  Washington,"  replied  the  little  boy. 

"Bunny  Brown!"  cried  Mrs.  Newton,  "what 
do  you  mean?" 

"Well,  it's  the  man  who  made  believe  he  was 
General  Washington  in  the  Opera  House  show, 
anyhow!"  declared  Bunny.  "  'Course  he  doesn't 
look  like  General  Washington  now,  but " 

Lucile  and  Mart  did  not  wait  for  Bunny  to 
finish.    Together  they  ran  to  the  front  door. 

"Bunny  Brown,  you  aren't  playing  any  jokes, 
are  you?"  asked  his  mother. 

"No'm!  Honest  I  mean  it!"  cried  Bunny,  his 
eyes  shining  with  excitement.  "It's  the  same 
man  who  was  General  Washington  and  General 

64 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  65 

Giving  a  Show 

Grant  and  a  lot  of  other  people  at  the  show  in 
the  Opera  House!  He's  at  our  front  door  now, 
and  he  wants  to  know  if  the  Happy  Day  Twins 
are  here." 

"The  Happy  Day  Twins?"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Brown. 

"That's  the  name  the  boy  and  girl  went  under 
on  the  programme,  you  know,"  explained  Mrs. 
Newton.  "The  same  children  you  have  been 
so  kind  to — Lucile  and  Mart  Clayton.  They 
took  the  name  of  the  'Happy  Day  Twins'  on  the 
stage  you  know.  Did  the  impersonator  want 
them,  Bunny?"  she  asked. 

"I  didn't  see  any  'personator,"  answered  the 
little  boy.  "He  was  General  Washington,  I  tell 
you,  only  he  wasn't  dressed  up." 

"I  must  go  and  see,"  declared  Mrs.  Brown. 

As  she  went  down  the  hall  she  met  the  brother 
and  sister  coming  back.  They  seemed  much  ex- 
cited. 

"It's  our  friend,  Mr.  Treadwell,"  explained 
Mart.  "He  heard  we  had  started  for  this  town, 
and  he  followed  us.  He  heard  about  my  climb- 
ing the  tree  after  the  monkey,  and  some  one  told 
him  my  sister  and  I  had  come  to  your  house, 


66  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Mrs.  Brown.  May  I  ask  him  in?  It's  Mr. 
Samuel  Treadwell,  and  he's  a  good  friend  of 
ours." 

"Certainly,  ask  him  in,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
with  a  smile.  "Perhaps  he  is  hungry,  too,"  she 
said  to  her  friend  Mrs.  Newton,  Mart  having 
gone  back  to  the  front  door.  "I've  hard  that 
actors  are  often  hungry." 

"But  he's  General  Washington,  too,  isn't  he?" 
demanded  Bunny,  following  Mart. 

"Yes,  he  pretends  to  be  all  sorts  of  famous 
people — on  the  stage,"  kindly  explained  Mart 
to  Bunny.  "You'll  like  him,  he  can  do  lots  of 
tricks." 

"Can  he  jiggle — I  mean  juggle?" 

"Yes,  but  not  as  good  as  the  other  man  in  the 
play." 

By  this  time  Mrs.  Brown  had  reached  the 
door.  On  the  steps  stood  an  elderly  man,  with  a 
pleasant  smile  on  his  face.  Mrs.  Brown  recog- 
nized him  at  once  as  the  impersonator,  though 
of  course  he  had  on  no  wig  or  costume  now.  He 
looked  just  like  an  ordinary  man,  except  that  his 
face  was  rather  more  wrinkled. 

"I'm  sorry  to  trouble  you,  madam,"  said  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  67 

Giving  a  Show 

man,  "but  I  have  been  looking  for  my  little 
friends,  the  'Happy  Day  Twins/  as  they  are 
billed.  Their  real  names  are — well,  I  suppose, 
they  have  told  you,"  and  he  smiled  at  Lucile  and 
Mart,  who  were  standing  in  the  hall. 

"Yes,  we  have  been  learning  something  about 
them,  but  we  would  be  glad  to  know  more,  so 
we  could  help  them,"  said  Mrs.  Brown.  "Won't 
you  come  in?  We  have  just  been  giving  the 
children  a  little  lunch,  and  perhaps,  if  you  have 
not  eaten  lately,  you  will  be  glad  to  do  so  now." 

"More  glad  than  you  can  guess,  madam," 
said  the  man  with  a  bow.  "I  am,  indeed,  hun- 
gry. We  have  had  bad  luck,  as  perhaps  Lucile 
and  Mart  have  told  you." 

"Yes,  they  spoke  of  it,"  said  Bunny's  mother. 
"And  now  please  come  in,  and  while  you  are 
mating  we  can  talk." 

"Say,  we  could  have  a  regular  show  here 
now!"  whispered  Bunny  Brown  to  his  sister/ 
Sue.  "We  have  three  actors  now,  and  you  and 
I  would  make  two  more." 

"Oh,  I  don't  want  to  be  in  a  show  now,"  said 
Sue.  "I  want  to  hear  what  they're  going  to  tell 
mother." 


68  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Bunny  did  also,  and  when  Mr.  Treadwell 
had  seated  himself  at  the  table  the  children 
listened  to  what  followed. 

"When  you  rang  I  was  just  telling  Mart  that 
perhaps  my  husband  could  give  him  some  work, 
so  enough  money  could  be  earned  for  the  trip 
to  New  York,"  said  Mrs.  Brown.  "Is  it  true 
that  no  one  knows  where  these  children's  uncle 
and  aunt  can  be  found?" 

"Well,  I  guess  it's  true  enough,"  said  Mr. 
Treadwell.  "There  are  two  uncles  and  one  aunt, 
according  to  the  story.  William  Clayton,  who 
is  a  brother  of  Mart's  father,  is  blind,  and  in 
some  home  or  hospital — I  don't  know  where, 
and  I  guess  the  children  don't  either,"  he  added. 

Lucile  and  Mart  shook  their  heads. 

Simon  Wcatherby  and  his  wife,  Sallie,  are 
brother  and  sister-in-law  of  Mrs.  Clayton's," 
went  on  the  impersonator.  "The  last  heard  of 
them  was  that  they  sailed  for  the  other  side — 
England,  France  or  maybe  Australia  for  all  I 
know.  We  theatrical  folk  travel  around  a  good 
bit.  Anyhow,  Simon  Weatherby  and  his  wife 
left  in  a  hurry,  and  they  gave  the  care  of  the 
children  over  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson, 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  69 

Giving  a  Show 

"Now  Mr.  Jackson  is  all  right,  and  a  nice 
man,  but  he  is  careless,  else  he  wouldn't  get  into 
so  much  trouble,  and  he  wouldn't  have  lost  the 
address  of  Mart's  Uncle  Simon.  But  that's  how 
it  happened.  So  the  children  have  some  rela- 
tions if  we  can  only  find  them,  and  what  they 
are  to  do  in  the  meanwhile,  now  that  the  show 
is  scattered,  is  more  than  I  know." 

"Well,  I  know  one  thing  they're  going  to  do, 
and  that  is  stay  right  here  with  me  until  they 
are  sure  of  a  home  somewhere  else,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown. 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that!"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Treadwell,  as  he  finished  his  lunch.  "I 
heard  they  left  the  boarding  house,  and  that  they 
had  no  money.  Well,  I  haven't  any  too  much 
myself,  but  I  followed  them,  hoping  I  could 
find  'em  and  help  'em.  Now  I've  found  my 
little  friends  all  right,"  he  said,  looking  kindly 
at  Lucile  and  Mart,  "but  some  one  else  has 
helped  them." 

"They  helped  some  one  else  first,"  said  Mrs. 
Newton,  with  a  smile.  "Mart  got  Mr.  Wink- 
ler's monkey  down  out  of  a  tree." 

"I  heard  about  that,"  returned  Mr.  Tread- 


70  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

well,  with  a  laugh.  "Well,  now  that  I  have 
located  you,  I  suppose  I'd  better  travel  on, 
though  where  to  go  or  what  to  do  I  don't  know," 
he  added  with  a  sigh.  "I'm  not  as  young  as  II 
once  was,"  he  added,  "and  there  isn't  the  de- 
mand for  impersonators  there  once  was.  If  I 
could  get  back  to  New  York " 

He  paused  and  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"Why  don't  you  stay  here  and  look  for  work, 
just  as  I'm  going  to  do?"  asked  Mart.  "If  you 
get  to  New  York  there  won't  be  much  chance. 
All  the  theater  places  are  filled  now  for  the 
winter  season." 

"That's  so!"  agreed  the  impersonator.  "But 
I  don't  know  what  sort  of  work  I  could  do 
here." 

"You — you  could  be  in  our  show!"  inter- 
rupted Bunny,  who,  with  Sue,  had  been  listen- 
ing eagerly  to  all  the  talk.  "We're  going  to 
have  a  show,  and  you  three  could  be  in  it!" 

"Going  to  have  a  show,  are  you?"  asked  MrJ 
Treadwell,  with  a  smile. 

"Yes,  a  real  one,"  declared  Sue.  "Once  we 
had  a  circus,  but  this  show  is  going  to  be  in  the 
Opera  House,  maybe,  and  we'll  give  all  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  71 

Giving  a  Show 

money  we  make  to  our  mother's  Red  Cross." 

"That  will  be  nice,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell,  with 
a  smile.  "But  I'm  afraid  I'd  be  too  big  to  fit 
into  your  show." 

"Oh,  no!"  exclaimed  Bunny.  "We're  going 
to  have  Bobbie  Boomer  in  it,  and  he's  a  big  fat 
boy." 

Mr.  Treadwell  laughed  and  Mrs.  Brown  and 
Mrs.  Newton  joined  in. 

"What  sort  of  play  are  you  going  to  have?" 
asked  Mr.  Treadwell. 

"Well,  we  were  just  talking  about  it,  in  our 
garage,  when  Tom  Milton  told  us  that  Mr. 
Winkler's  monkey  was  loose,"  explained  Bunny, 
"and  we  didn't  talk  any  more  about  it  until  just 
now.  But  the  show  is  going  to  be  different  from 
the  circus." 

"Where  are  you  going  to  have  it?"  asked  Mrs. 
Newton. 

"I  don't  know,"  confessed  Bunny.  "Maybe 
my  father  will  let  us  have  it  in  the  boat  shop. 
That's  a  big  place." 

A  step  was  heard  in  the  hall,  and  Bunny  and 
$ue  cried: 
"There's  our  daddy  now!" 


72  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Mr.  Brown  walked  in,  kissed  the  children  and 
seemed  quite  surprised  to  see  three  strangers 
present.  Matters  were  quickly  explained  to  him, 
however,  and  he  welcomed  Mr.  Treadwell, 
Lucile  and  Mart. 

"Do  you  think  you  could  find  work  for 
them?"  asked  Mrs.  Brown,  when  the  stories  had 
been  told. 

"Well,  I  might,"  slowly  answered  Mr. 
Brown.  "I  need  some  help  down  at  the  dock 
and  office  to  get  things  ready  for  winter." 

"Don't  make  'em  work  so  hard  they  can't 
help  in  our  show,"  begged  Bunny. 

"Oh,  you're  going  to  have  another  circus,  are 
you?"  asked  his  father,  with  a  smile. 

"No,  it  isn't  going  to  be  a  circus,  it's  going  to 
be  a  regular  Opera  House  show!"  cried  Sue. 

"What  about?"  her  father  wanted  to  know,  as 
he  caught  her  up  in  his  arms. 

"We  don't  know  yet,"  Bunny  said.  "But 
maybe  the  play  will  be  about  pirates  or  Indians 
or  soldiers." 

"Why  don't  you  have  some  nice  quiet  play 
that  would  be  good  for  Christmas?"  asked  Mr. 
Brown.     "Why  not  have  a  play  with  a  farm 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  73 

Giving  a  Show 

scene  in  it?  You  have  been  down  to  Grandpa's 
farm,  and  you  know  a  lot  about  the  country. 
Why  not  have  a  farm  play  and  call  it  'Down  on 
the  Farm'?" 

"That's  the  very  thing!"  suddenly  cried  Mr. 
Treadwell.  "Excuse  me  for  getting  so  excited,', 
he  said,  "but  when  you  spoke  about  a  farm  play 
I  remembered  that  we  have  some  farm  scenery 
in  our  show  that  failed.  I  believe  you  could 
buy  that  scenery  cheap  for  the  children,"  he  said 
to  Mr.  Brown.  "There  are  three  scenes,  one 
meadow,  a  barnyard  with  a  barn  and  an  or- 
chard; and  the  last  had  a  house  with  it." 

"Oh,  Daddy!  get  us  the  farm  theater  things 
for  our  new  play!"  cried  Bunny  Brown. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  SCENERY 

Daddy  Brown  looked  at  his  two  children, 
and  then,  as  he  glanced  across  the  table  at  the 
actor  who  made  believe  he  was  George  Wash- 
ington  and  other  great  men,  Daddy  Brown 
laughed. 

"These  youngsters  of  mine  will  be  giving  a 
real  show  before  I  know  it,  with  scenery  and 
everything,"  he  said. 

"Well,  a  show  isn't  much  fun  unless  you  have 
some  scenery  in  it,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell,  "and 
the  scenery  I  spoke  of,  which  was  part  of  our 
show,  can  be  bought  cheap,  I  think." 

"Say,  Daddy,  is  the  sheenery  in  a  show  like 
the  sheenery  in  a  automobile  or  one  of  your 
motor  boats?"  asked  Sue. 

"Oh,  she's  thinking  of  wheels  and  things  that 
go  around!"  laughed  Bunny.  "That's  ma- 
chinery, Sue,  and  scenery  is  what  we  saw  in  the 
Opera  House — make-believe  trees,  and  the 
brook,  you  know."  , 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Sue.  "Well,  can  we  have 
74 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  75 

Giving  a  Show 

that — that  sheenery  for  our  play?"  she  asked  her 
father. 

"I'll  see  about  it,"  he  answered,  and  Bunny 
and  Sue  looked  happy,  for,  like  their  mother, 
whenever  their  father  said  "I'll  see,"  it  almost 
always  meant  that  he  would  do  as  they  wanted 
him  to. 

"I'm  afraid,  though,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  "that 
getting  up  a  show  in  town  will  be  harder,  Bunny 
and  Sue,  than  getting  up  a  circus.  In  the  circus 
you  could  use  your  dog  Splash  and  some  of  the 
animals  from  Grandpa's  farm.  But  a  theater 
show,  or  one  like  it,  hasn't  many  animals  in  it. 
You  ought  to  do  more  acting  than  you  do  tra- 
peze work." 

"Oh,  we  can  do  it!"  cried  Bunny  Brown. 
"They're  going  to  help,  aren't  you?"  and  he 
looked  over  at  Lucile  and  Mart. 

"We'll  help  all  we  can,"  Mart  promised. 
"That  is,  if  we're  here,  and  I  don't  see  how  we 
can  get  away,  for  we  haven't  any  money  to  pay 
our  fare  on  the  train." 

"That's  my  trouble,  too,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell, 
with  a  smile.  "I'd  offer  to  help  too,  if  I  thought 
I  was  going  to  be  here." 


76  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Oh,  then  we'll  be  sure  to  have  a  show  I"  de- 
clared Bunny.  "You  can  be  General  Washing- 
ton and  maybe  some  soldier,  and  we'll  pretend 
you  came  down  to  the  farm  to  see  us.  Then  I'll 
turn  somersaults  and  Sue  can  bring  me  out  some 
cookies  to  eat,  'cause  I  get  hungry  when  I  turn 
somersaults.  And  you  can  do  tricks  like  those 
you  did  in  the  Opera  House,"  he  added  to  Mart. 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?"  asked  Lucile, 
with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  you — you  can  help  Sue  bring  out  the 
cookies  for  Mart  and  me,"  decided  Bunny. 
"And — oh  yes — you  can  sing — those  songs  you 
sang  in  the  show  we  went  to  see,  you  know." 

"All  right,  I'll  help  all  I  can— if  I'm  here," 
said  Lucile. 

"Well,  suppose  we  talk  a  little  about  the 
trouble  you  good  theater  folks  are  in,"  suggested 
Mr.  Brown.  "The  show  Bunny  and  Sue  are 
going  to  give  can  wait  for  a  while.  Now  what 
do  you  want  to  do — get  back  to  New  York,  all 
three  of  you?" 

"Well,  New  York  is  the  place  almost  all  show 
people  start  from,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell,  "but  I 
don't  know  that  there's  much  use  going  back 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  17 

Giving  a  Show 

there  now.  All  the  places  in  other  shows  will 
be  taken.  If  I  could  get  some  sort  of  work  here 
for  the  winter  I'd  stay." 

"So  would  1 1"  declared  Mart.  "I  like  to  stay 
in  a  place  two  or  three  weeks  at  a  time,  and  not 
have  to  move  to  a  new  town  every  night,  like  a 
circus.  Have  you  any  work  you  could  let  me 
do?"  he  asked  Mr.  Brown. 

"I  was  going  to  speak  of  that,"  replied  the 
father  of  Bunny  and  Sue.  "One  of  the  young 
men  in  my  office  is  going  on  leave,  and  I  could 
hire  you  in  his  place.  The  wages  aren't  very 
big,"  he  said,  "but  it  would  be  enough  for  you 
to  live  on  and  take  care  of  your  sister." 

"I  suppose  I  could  board  here  in  Bellemere," 
suggested  Mart. 

"You  can  stay  right  here — you  and  Lucile!" 
cried  Mrs.  Brown.  "Our  house  is  plenty  large 
enough,  and  there's  lots  of  room.  Do  stay  here 
— at  least  until  you  locate  your  uncle  and  your 
aunt." 

"That's  very  kind  of  you,"  said  Lucile  softly, 
and  she  reached  over  and  stroked  Sue's  curls. 

"Oh,  goodie!"  cried  Bunny,  when  he  under- 
stood that  his  father  was  going  to  hire  Mart 


78  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Clayton  to  work  in  the  office  at  the  dock.  "Then 
you  can  help  us  get  up  the  show." 

"Well,  I'll  do  all  I  can,"  promised  Mart. 

"And  I'll  help,  too,"  added  Lucile. 

"If  you  can  find  a  place  for  me,  Mr.  Brown, 
I'll  make  the  same  promise,"  said  Mr.  Tread- 
well.  "I  don't  care  much  about  going  back  to 
New  York,  and  if  Mart  and  Lucile  stay  here 
I'd  like  to  stay,  too,  and  sort  of  look  after 
them.  I'll  try  to  help  them  find  their  missing 
folks." 

"I  guess  I  can  find  work  for  you,"  said  Mr. 
Brown.  "Do  you  know  anything  about  the  fish 
or  boat  business?" 

"Very  little,  I'm  afraid.  I  once  worked  as 
a  bookkeeper  in  a  piano  factory,  though,  if  that 
would  help  any,"  he  said. 

"Keeping  books  is  just  what  I  want  done," 
said  Mr.  Brown.  "So  you  can  have  a  place  in 
my  office.  The  man  I  have  is  going  to  leave, 
and  you  may  take  his  place.  He  also  has  a  room 
with  Mr.  Winkler  and  his  sister,  and  you  could 
get  board  there." 

"That  suits  me  all  right,  and  thank  you  very 
much,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell.    "I'll  send  over  to 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  79 

Giving  a  Show 

Wayville  and  get  what  little  baggage  I  have. 
But  will  it  be  all  right  for  me  to  board  at  Mr. 
Winkler's?"  he  asked.  j 

"Oh,  yes.    They'll  be  glad  to  have  you." 

"And  you  can  see  Mr.  Winkler's  monkey 
Wango  and  the  parrot  all  the  while!"  cried 
Bunny  Brown. 

"That  will  be  a  treat!"  laughed  Mr.  Tread- 
well. 

So  it  was  settled  that  both  Mr.  Treadwell  and 
Mart  would  work  for  Mr.  Brown.  The  man 
who  pretended  to  be  George  Washington  and 
other  great  men  would  board  with  the  old  sailor 
and  his  sister,  while  Mart  and  Lucile  would 
live  with  the  Browns. 

"And  we'll  have  lots  of  fun!"  said  Sue  to 
Lucile. 

"And  will  you  show  me  how  to  make  flip- 
flops?"  asked  Bunny  of  Mart. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  boy  actor  and  acrobat, 
"I  will." 

While  Lucile  remained  at  Mrs.  Brown's 
house,  Mart,  with  Mr.  Brown  and  the  imper- 
sonator went  over  to  Wayville  to  get  the  bag- 
gage of  the  theatrical  folk.     Mr.  Brown  was 


80  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

going  to  pay  the  board  bills.  Bunny  and  Sue 
wanted  to  go  also,  but  their  father  said : 

"I'll  take  you  along  when  we  go  to  look  at 
the  scenery.  You'd  only  be  in  the  way  now,  and 
wouldn't  have  a  good  time." 

That  night  Lucile  and  Mart  stayed  at  the 
Brown  house,  which  was  to  be  their  home  for 
some  time,  and  Mr.  Treadwell  went  to  board 
with  the  Winklers. 

"And  when  you  come  over  in  the  morning  tell 
us  all  about  the  monkey  and  parrot!"  begged 
Bunny,  as  the  actor  started  for  his  boarding 
place  that  evening. 

"I  will,"  was  the  promise. 

"When  are  we  going  to  get  the  scenery  for 
our  play,  Daddy?"  asked  Bunny  Brown,  as  he 
and  his  sister  Sue  were  getting  ready  for  bed 
that  night. 

"I'll  take  you  over  to-morrow  after  school," 
was  the  promise.  And  you  can  well  imagine 
that  the  two  children  could  hardly  wait  for  the 
time  to  come. 

The  air  was  clear  and  cold,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  there  would  be  more  snow  when  Mr.  Brown 
brought  around  the  automobile  in  which  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  81 

Giving  a  Show 

trip  to  Wayville  was  to  be  made.  Bunny  and 
Sue,  Lucile  and  Mart  were  to  sit  in  the  back, 
while  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Treadwell  sat  in 
front.  They  were  going  to  the  place  where  the 
theatrical  scenery  had  been  stored  since  the  time 
the  vaudeville  troupe  had  got  into  trouble. 

"I'm  glad  winter  is  coming,  aren't  you?" 
asked  Bunny  of  Mart,  as  they  rode  along  the 
roads  which  were  still  covered  with  snow  from 
the  first  storm. 

"Well,  yes,  I  like  winter,"  was  the  answer. 
"It's  always  the  best  time  for  the  show  business 
— 'tisn't  like  a  circus — that  does  best  in  the  sum- 
mer time." 

"We  had  our  circus  in  summer,"  said  Sue. 
"Now  we're  going  to  have  a  real  theater  show 
in  the  winter." 

The  automobile  was  going  down  a  snowy  hill 
into  Wayville,  and  Mr.  Brown  had  put  on  the 
brakes,  for,  once  or  twice,  the  machine  had  slid 
from  side  to  side. 

"I  ought  to  have  chains  on  the  back  wheels," 
said  the  fish  merchant  to  Mr.  Treadwell.  "But 
if  I  go  slowly  I  guess  I'll  be  all  right.  Do  you 
think  we  need  any  more  scenery  than  the  three 


82  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

sets  you  spoke  of — the  barnyard,  the  orchard 
and  the  meadow?" 

"No,  I  think  that  will  be  enough,"  said  the 
actor.  "The  children  only  want  something  sim- 
ple.   You  can  tell  when  you  see  it." 

"Can  we  pick  apples  in  the  orchard?"  asked 
Sue. 

Before  Mr.  Treadwell  could  answer  some- 
thing happened.  Mr.  Brown  turned  out  to  one 
side  of  the  road  to  let  another  automobile  pass, 
and,  a  moment  later,  his  machine  began  sliding 
to  one  side  at  a  place  where  there  was  a  deep 
gully. 

"Oh!"  screamed  Lucile.  "We're  going  to 
upset!" 


CHAPTER  IX 

BUNNY  DOES  A  TRICK 

Nearer  and  nearer  to  the  side  of  the  deep 
gully,  across  the  road  that  was  slippery  with 
snow,  slid  Mr.  Brown's  automobile.  Bunny  and 
Sue's  father's  hands  held  tightly  to  the  steering 
wheel,  and  he  pressed  his  foot  down  hard  on  the 
brake  pedal. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  cried  the  children. 

"Sit  still!  It  will  be  all  right!"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Brown.    "We  won't  be  hurt!" 

And  so  well  did  he  steer  the  automobile  that 
in  a  few  seconds  more  it  was  back  in  the  middle 
of  the  road  and  going  safely  down  the  hill.  The 
dangerous  gully  was  passed.  It  had  all  hap- 
pened so  quickly  that  Bunny  and  Sue  had  had 
no  chance  to  get  really  frightened.  But  they 
were  so  sure  their  father  could  do  everything 
all  right  that  I  hardly  believe  they  would  have 
worried  even  if  the  auto  had  started  to  roll  over 
sideways.  Bunny  would  probably  have  thought 
it  only  a  trick,  and  he  and  Sue  were  very  fond 
of  tricks. 

83 


84  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"The  man  in  the  other  automobile  didn't  give 
you  enough  room  to  pass,  did  he,  Mr.  Brown?" 
asked  the  actor,  when  the  danger  was  over. 

"Not  quite,"  was  the  answer.  "We'll  go  home 
by  another  road  that  is  wider,  but  I  took  this  one 
because  it  is  the  shortest  way." 

"I  hope  I  didn't  do  wrong  to  cry  out  that 
way,"  Lucile  said,  when  they  were  on  their  way 
again. 

"No,  you  didn't  do  any  harm,"  said  Mr. 
Brown.  "I  was  a  bit  alarmed  myself  at  first. 
But  we're  all  right  now." 

"We  were  in  a  railroad  wreck  once,"  went  on 
Lucile. 

"Did  the  trains  all  smash  up?"  asked  Bunny, 
his  eyes  wide  open. 

"Yes,  they  were  badly  smashed,"  answered 
Lucile.  "I  don't  like  to  think  about  it.  Mart 
was  hurt,  too!" 

"Was  you?"  cried  Bunny,  forgetting,  in  his 
excitement,  to  speak  correctly.  "Say,  you've  had 
lots  of  things  happen  to  you,  haven't  you?" 

"Quite  a  few,"  answered  the  boy  actor.  "I've 
traveled  around  a  good  bit.  But  I  think  I  like 
it  here  better  than  anywhere  I've  been," 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  85 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  do  too,"  said  Lucile.  "Traveling  every 
day  makes  one  tired." 

A  little  later  they  reached  Wayville,  and  Mr. 
Treadwell  told  Mr.  Brown  where  to  go  in  the 
automobile  to  look  at  the  scenery.  It  was  stored 
away,  for  the  company  that  had  "busted  up,"  as 
Mart  sometimes  called  it,  had  no  further  use 
for  it. 

"Oh,  look!  Here's  a  little  house!"  cried 
Bunny,  when  with  their  father  and  the  others 
he  and  Sue  had  entered  the  big  room  where  the 
scenery  was  stored. 

"It's  got  a  door  to  it,"  said  Sue,  "but  the  win- 
dow is  only  make  believe,"  and  she  found  this 
out  when  she  tried  to  stick  her  fat  little  hand 
out  of  what  looked  like  a  window  in  the  side 
of  the  small  house. 

"Most  things  on  a  stage  in  a  theater  are  make 
believe,"  said  the  man  who  pretended  to  be  dif- 
ferent persons.  "You'll  find  the  scenery  isn't  as 
pretty  when  you  get  close  to  it  as  it  is  when  you 
see  it  from  the  other  side  of  the  footlights." 

This  the  children  noticed  was  true.  The 
scenery  was  made  of  painted  canvas  stretched 
over  a  framework  of  wood.  And  the  colors  were 


86  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

put  on  with  a  coarse  brush  and  was  very  thick, 
as  Bunny  and  Sue  saw  when  they  went  up  close. 

"But  it  looked  so  pretty  in  the  Opera  House,'* 
complained  Bunny. 

"That's  because  you  were  farther  off,  and  be- 
cause the  lights  were  made  to  shine  on  it  in  a 
certain  way,"  explained  Mart.  "It  will  look 
just  as  pretty  again  when  you  use  it  in  your 
show." 

Bunny  and  Sue  were  not  so  sure  of  this,  but 
they  were  willing  to  wait  and  see.  Mr.  Brown 
and  Mr.  Treadwell  looked  over  the  scenery. 

As  the  actor  had  said,  there  were  three  "sets" 
as  they  are  called.  One  was  a  scene  painted  to 
look  like  a  meadow,  with  a  big  green  field,  a 
stream  of  water  and,  in  the  distance,  cows  eating 
grass.  Of  course  the  cows  were  only  pictured 
ones  as  was  the  grass  and  stream. 

The  barnyard  scene  showed  more  cows  and 
the  end  of  a  barn,  and  in  this  barn  there  was  a 
real  door  that  opened  and  shut.  Mr.  Tread- 
well  explained  that  the  boy  and  girl  actors  could 
go  through  this  door  to  enter  upon  or  leave  the 
stage  during  the  play. 

"There's  a  pump  and  a  watering  trough  that 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  87 

Giving  a  Show 

goes  with  this  scene,"  said  the  actor.  "In  the 
play  as  we  used  to  give  it  the  trough  was  filled 
with  water  and  one  of  the  actors  had  to  fall 
into  it." 

"And  does  the  pump  pump  real  water?"  cried 
Bunny. 

"Yes,  about  a  pail  full,"  was  the  answer. 

"Then  we'll  have  it  in  our  show!"  cried  the 
little  boy.  "Ill  fall  into  the  trough  and  get  all 
wet,  Sue,  and  you  can  pump  more  water  on  me 
from  the  pump." 

"That'll  be  fun!"  laughed  Sue. 

"We'll  have  to  see  about  that  act  first," 
laughed  Mr.  Brown.  "Now  let's  find  out  what 
else  we  have  for  the  great  play  'Down  on  the 
Farm.'  Where's  that  orchard  I  heard  you  speak 
of,  Mr.  Treadwell?" 

"I  guess  the  orchard  is  behind  the  barn," 
laughed  the  old  actor.  And  when  some  of  the 
men  in  the  storage  place  had  lifted  away  the 
painted  canvas  that  represented  the  barn,  a 
pretty  orchard  scene  was  shown. 

"There's  the  rest  of  the  little  house!"  cried 
Bunny,  for  at  first  he  had  only  noticed  one  side 
of  it. 


88  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Yes,  there  is  one  end  of  a  house  shown  in 
this  scene,  as  one  end  of  the  barn  is  shown  in 
the  other,"  explained  the  actor.  "And  there  is 
a  real  door,  too,  that  opens  and  shuts.  The  or- 
chard, as  you  see,  is  only  painted." 

And  so  it  was,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  appear 
very  pretty  when  set  up  and  lighted. 
•    "Here's  a  real  tree!"  cried  Bunny,  who  was 
rummaging  about  back  of  the  stacked-up  scen- 
ery. 

"Well,  it's  meant  to  look  like  a  real  tree,"  said 
Mr.  Treadwell,  "but  it  isn't,  really.  It's  a 
pretty  good  imitation  of  a  peach  tree,  and  I  sup- 
pose you  could  use  it  in  your  show,  children." 

"Peaches  don't  grow  in  the  winter,"  objected 
Bunny,  who  had  been  on  his  grandfather's  farm 
often  enough  to  know  this. 

"We  could  make  believe  our  show  was  in 
summer,"  said  Sue. 

"Yes,  or  you  could  make  believe  your  play 
took  place  down  south,  where  it's  always  warm," 
added  Mart,  "and  you  could  have  this  for  an 
orange  tree." 

"Oh,  no!  That  wouldn't  do!"  laughed  Mr. 
Treadwell.     "The  leaves  aren't  anything  like 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  89 

Giving  a  Show 

those  of  an  orange  tree.  I  remember  once  when 
we  gave  an  act  with  this  tree  it  was  supposed  to 
be  on  a  tropic  island,  and  one  of  the  actors  fas- 
tened a  a  cocoanut  on  it,  to  make  the  audience 
think  it  really  grew  there." 

"What  happened?"  asked  Mr.  Brown,  as  he 
saw  the  actor  laugh. 

"Well,  the  cocoanut  wasn't  fastened  on  very 
well,"  was  the  answer,  "and  when  the  leading 
lady  was  standing  under  the  tree,  singing  a  sad 
song,  the  cocoanut  fell  off  and  dropped  on  her 
foot.  She  stopped  singing  right  there,  and  the 
play  was  nearly  spoiled.  So  don't  have  oranges 
grow  on  peach  trees,"  he  advised. 

"We  could  have  peanuts,"  suggested  Bunny. 
"They  wouldn't  hurt  if  they  fell  on  you." 

Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Treadwell  laughed  at 
that,  and  Bunny  wondered  why  they  did. 

The  children  were  delighted  with  the  scenery, 
once  they  had  got  over  their  surprise  at  how 
coarse  the  paint  looked  when  they  were  close  to 
it.  The  barn  and  the  house,  with  their  real 
doors  that  opened  and  shut,  were  quite  wonder- 
ful to  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue,  and  so 
was  the  tree. 


90  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

This  was  made  of  wood  with  what  seemed' 
to  be  real  bark  on  it,  and  had  limbs,  branches, 
and  twigs  that  seemed  very  natural.  But  Mr. 
Treadwell  explained  that  it  was  all  artificial, 
like  the  palms  you  see  in  some  hotels  and  mov- 
ing picture  theaters. 

While  Bunny  and  Sue  waited,  Mr.  Brown 
talked  with  the  man  who  had  charge  of  the 
scenery,  and  in  a  little  while  the  children's 
father  said  he  would  buy"  the  set,  which  was 
offered  at  a  low  price. 

"And  can  we  give  our  show  with  it?"  Bunny 
wanted  to  know  when  told  what  his  father  had 
done. 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Brown.  "It  will  be  delivered 
in  Bellemere  day  after  to-morrow,  and  stored 
away  in  our  garage  until  you  decide  when  and 
where  you  are  going  to  give  your  show.  There 
is  a  lot  to  be  done  before  your  first  performance, 
children.  I  guess  you  know  that,  from  the  work 
you  had  getting  up  your  circus." 

"We'll  have  a  lot  of  fun!"  declared  Bunny, 
not  thinking  of  the  hard  work.  "When  we  get 
back  home  I'll  tell  the  boys  and  girls  about  the 
scenery  and  they  can  come  over  to  see  it.    Then 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  91 

Giving  a  Show 

we'll  begin   to   practice   for   the   show   play." 

"You'll  have  to  have  a  play  written  for  you, 
bringing  in  all  the  scenery  I've  bought,"  said 
Mr.  Brown. 

"I  guess  I  can  manage  that  part  for  them," 
suggested  Mr.  Treadwell.  "I  have  written  two 
or  three  little  plays,  and  I  guess  I  can  do  one 
more.  I'll  write  out  a  little  sketch  and  have 
parts  to  fit  as  many  boys  and  girls  as  Bunny  and 
Sue  can  get  to  act." 

"Oh,  I  can  get  a  lot  of  'em!"  cried  Bunny. 
"And  will  you  make  it  so  Sue  can  pump  water 
and  I  can  fall  in  the  trough  and  get  all  wet?" 

"It's  pretty  cold  to  fall  into  the  water,"  said 
the  actor.    "But  we'll  talk  of  that  later." 

You  can  imagine  how  excited  the  little 
friends  of  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue  were 
when  they  heard  that  Mr.  Brown  had  bought 
some  real  scenery  for  the  children's  play.  As 
soon  as  the  house,  the  barn,  the  meadow,  the 
barnyard,  and  the  orchard  had  been  brought  to 
the  garage  a  crowd  of  boys  and  girls  was  on 
hand  to  look  at  them. 

Sue  led  a  number  of  her  girl  friends  up  in 
the  loft  to  look  over  the  painted  canvas,  and 


92  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Bunny  took  charge  of  a  throng  of  boys.  Sue 
was  explaining  about  the  make-believe  tree,  that 
once  had  had  a  cocoanut  on  it,  when  suddenly 
there  came  a  cry  of  pain  from  behind  the 
painted  canvas  barn. 

"Oh!  Ohl"  exclaimed  a  voice.  "I'm  stuck 
fast!" 

"That's  Bunny!"  shouted  Sue.  "What's  the 
matter?"  she  asked. 

"Bunny  tried  to  do  a  trick  and  he's  caught!" 
answered  Charlie  Star.  "You'd  better  go  and 
get  your  father  or  mother  1" 


"COME  ON  NOW,  LET'S  ALL  PULL  TOGETHER!" 
Bu»>.y  Drown  and  TTis  Sister  Sue  Giving  a  Show.  Page  -<"> 


CHAPTER  X 

GETTING  READY 

Sue  Brown  was  too  curious  when  she  heard 
Charlie  say  this  to  do  as  she  had  been  told. 

"Oh,  Bunny!"  she  called  out,  as  she  heard 
her  brother's  cries,  "what's  the  matter,  and 
where  are  you?" 

"He's  stuck  in  the  watering  trough,"  ex- 
plained Harry  Bentley.  "Come  on  back  here 
and  you  can  see  him!" 

"Get  me  out!  Get  me  out!"  begged  Bunny. 
"Please  get  me  out!" 

"Better  go  get  your  father  or  mother,"  ad- 
vised Charlie  again.  "I've  pulled  and  pulled, 
and  I  can't  get  Bunny  loose.  His  trick  didn't 
work  out  right." 

But  Sue  made  up  her  mind  that  she  would 
see  what  was  the  matter  with  Bunny  before  she 
called  on  her  father  and  mother  to  come  and 
help.  She  and  Bunny  had  often  been  in  little 
troublesome  scrapes  before,  and  often  they  got 
out  by  themselves.  They  might  do  it  this  time. 
So  Sue  darted  around  the  piled-up  scenery,  and 

93 


94  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

there  she  saw  a  group  of  boys  around  the  stage 
watering  trough. 

This  was  made  to  look  like  the  watering 
troughs  you  may  have  seen  in  the  country,  made 
from  a  big,  hollowed-out  log.  Only  this  one 
was  made  of  sheet  tin,  and  painted  to  look  like 
wood. 

Down  in  the  trough  was  Bunny  Brown.  He 
was  stretched  out  at  full  length  and  he  seemed 
to  be  caught.  In  fact  he  was  caught,  and  the 
reason  for  it  was  that  Bunny  was  a  little  too  big 
to  fit  in  the  stage  trough — that  is  his  shoulders 
were  too  large.  But  his  legs  and  feet  were  free, 
and  with  his  shoes  he  was  drumming  a  tattoo 
on  the  inside  of  the  tin  trough,  which  was  some- 
what like  a  bathtub. 

"Oh,  Bunny  Brown,  what  have  you  done 
now?"  cried  Sue,  when  she  saw  her  brother  in 
the  trough  and  the  crowd  of  boys  standing 
around  him. 

I  "I — I'm  stuck  fast!"  Bunny  replied.  "I  was 
practising  a  trick,  like  the  one  I'm  going  to  do 
on  the  stage  when  we  give  our  play.  I  got  in  the 
trough,  and  now  I  can't  get  out." 

"It's  a  good  thing  we  didn't  put  the  water  in 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  95 

Giving  a  Show 

as  he  wanted  us  to  do,"  said  George  Watson, 
"else  he'd  be  soaking  wet  now." 

"Yes,  I'm  glad  you  didn't  put  the  water  in," 
agreed  Bunny.  "But  say,  I  wish  I  could  get 
out!" 

He  wiggled  and  squirmed,  but  still  he  was 
held  fast. 

"Oh,  if  he  has  to  stay  stuck  in  there  all  the 
while  Bunny  can't  be  in  the  show!"  said  Sadie 
West. 

"We'll  get  him  out!"  declared  Charlie  Star. 
"Come  on,  Harry,  you  and  George  each  take 
hold  of  him  on  one  side,  and  Bobby  Boomer  and 
I'll  pull  his  legs." 

"My  legs  aren't  caught!"  said  Bunny.  "It's 
my  shoulders!" 

"Well,  if  I  pull  on  your  legs  it'll  help  get  your 
shoulders  loose,  I  guess,"  returned  Charlie. 
"Come  on  now,  fellows!" 

"Can't  we  girls  help  too?"  asked  Sue. 

"Well,  maybe  you  could,"  Charlie  agreed. 
"All  pull." 

"Don't  tear  my  clothes,"  protested  Bunny.  "If 
I  tear  my  clothes  maybe  my  mother  won't  let 
me  be  in  the  show." 


96  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Come  on  now,  let's  all  pull  together!"  sug- 
gested Charlie. 

As  many  of  the  boys  and  girls  as  could, 
gathered  around  the  trough  and  tried  to  pull 
Bunny  loose.  But  he  stuck  fast  in  spite  of  all 
they  could  do.    Then  Sue  said : 

"I'm  going  to  tell  mother.  She'll  know  how 
to  get  him  loose.  Once  he  was  stuck  in  the 
rain  water  barrel,  when  it  was  empty,  and  my 
mother  got  him  out.  She  can  do  'most  every- 
thing.   I'll  go  for  her." 

"Yes,  I  guess  you'd  better,"  agreed  Bunny. 
"We've  got  a  lot  to  do  to  get  ready  for  the  play, 
and  I  can't  do  anything  while  I'm  stuck  fast 
here." 

"It's  a  good  thing  this  isn't  in  the  play,  or 
everybody  in  the  audience  would  be  laughing  at 
us,"  said  Harry  Bentley. 

"I — I  guess  I  won't  get  in  the  trough  when 
we  give  our  play  real,"  decided  Bunny.  "I 
might  get  stuck  then.  I'll  think  up  some  other 
trick  to  do." 

Sue  was  about  to  hurry  away,  intending  to 
call  her  mother,  when  some  one  was  heard  com- 
ing up  the  stairs  that  led  to  the  loft  over  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  97 

Giving  a  Show 

garage.  A  moment  later  the  head  and  shoulders 
of  Mart  Clayton  came  into  view. 

"Oh,  Mart!"  cried  Sue,  for  she  and  Bunny- 
felt  quite  well  acquainted  with  the  boy  and  girl 
performers,  "Bunny  is  stuck  in  the  trough  and 
he  can't  get  out!" 

"Is  there  water  in  it?"  asked  Lucile's  brother 
quickly,  as  he  jumped  up  the  rest  of  the  stairs. 

"No!"  answered  a  chorus  of  boys  and  girls. 
"Not  a  drop." 

"Oh,  then  he's  all  right,"  said  Mart.  "I'll 
soon  have  him  out." 

And  he  did.  It  was  very  simple.  Mart  sim- 
ply pulled  Bunny's  coat  off,  over  the  little  fel- 
low's head,  and  then  Bunny  was  small  enough 
to  slip  out  of  the  trough  himself.  He  had  so 
wiggled  and  squirmed  after  getting  into  the  tin 
thing  like  a  bath  tub  that  his  coat  was  all 
hunched  up  in  bunches.  This  kept  his  shoulders 
from  slipping  out,  but  when  the  coat  was  off 
everything  was  all  right. 

"What  did  you  get  in  there  for?"  asked  Mart, 
when  Bunny  was  on  his  feet  once  more. 

"I  was  practising  my  act,"  was  the  answer. 
"I'm  going  to  be  a  farmer  boy  in  the  play,  and 


98  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

then  I  hide  in  the  trough  so  I  can  scare  an  old 
tramp  that  comes  to  get  a  drink  of  water.  Only 
there  isn't  going  to  be  any  water  in  the  trough 
when  I  do  my  act,"  said  Bunny.  "I  wanted 
there  to  be  some,  but  mother  won't  let  me." 

"I  guess  we  can  do  that  act  just  as  well  withv 
out  water  as  with  it,"  said  Mart  with  a  smile. 
"An  audience  likes  to  see  real  water  on  the 
stage,  but  we  can  use  some  in  the  pump,  I  guess. 
Now  then,  bpys  and  girls,  are  you  all  going  to 
be  in  the  new  play,  'Down  on  the  Farm?'  " 

"Yes,  I  am!  I  am!  So'm  I!"  came  the  an- 
swers, and  Mart  laughed  and  put  his  hands  over 
his  ears. 

"I  guess  we'll  have  plenty  of  actors  and  ac- 
tresses," he  said.  "Mr.  Treadwell  will  be  out 
here  this  afternoon  and  tell  you  something  of 
the  little  play  he  is  going  to  write  for  you — for 
all  of  us,  in  fact,  for  my  sister  and  I  are  going  to 
be  in  it  with  you.  But  now  suppose  I  tell  you 
a  little  about  a  stage,  and  how  to  come  on  and 
go  off." 

"Is  Bunny  going  to  get  stuck  again?"  asked 
Sue.  "If  he  is  I'm  going  to  tell  mother  so  she 
can  help  get  him  out." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  99 

Giving  a  Show 

"No,  I  won't  get  in  the  trough  again,"  said 
Bunny.  "I  only  did  it  now  to  see  if  I'd  fit.  And 
I  don't — very  well,"  he  added. 

Then  Mart  told  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others 
something  about  how  a  stage  in  a  theater  is  set, 
and  something  about  the  proper  way  to  come 
on  and  go  off.  A  little  later  Lucile  also  came 
out  to  the  garage  and  she  drilled  the  girls  in  a 
little  dance  they  were  to  give. 

Then  the  two  young  performers  showed  the 
others  how  the  stage  scenery  was  set  up  to  look 
as  real  as  possible  from  the  front. 

"Where  are  you  going  to  give  your  play?" 
asked  Mart,  as  they  all  sat  down  to  rest. 

"Oh,  we  don't  know,  yet,"  said  Bunny.  "I 
guess  we  won't  have  it  until  around  Christmas, 
and  by  then  my  father  will  think  up  some  place 
for  us." 

"Couldn't  we  have  it  up  here?"  asked  Sadie 
West.    "All  the  scenery  is  here." 

"Oh,  there  isn't  room,"  said  Lucile.  "We 
have  to  have  a  stage,  and  then  there  is  no  place 
up  here  for  the  audience  to  sit.  And  there  isn't 
any  use  in  giving  a  play  unless  you  have  an 
audience.    That's  half  the  fun.    What  are  you 


100  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

going  to  do  with  all  the  money  you  make,  Bunny 
Brown?"  she  asked  the  little  chap. 

"Oh,  I — Iguess  we'll  give  it  to  mother's  Red 
Cross,"  he  answered.  "But  first  we've  got  to 
find  out  what  sort  of  acts  we  can  give.  Our  dog 
Splash  is  a  good  actor — he  was  in  our  circus." 

"I  guess  Mr.  Treadwell  can  work  Splash  into 
the  play  in  some  way,"  said  Mart.  "We'll  ask 
him." 

That  afternoon  the  actor  gathered  the  chil- 
dren around  him,  out  in  the  loft  over  the  garage, 
and,  by  questioning  them,  he  found  out  what 
each  one  could  do  best.  Some  could  recite  little 
verses,  others  could  sing  and  some  could  dance. 

"Can't  I  have  my  trained  white  mice  in  the 
play?"  asked  Will  Laydon.  "They  twirl  around 
on  a  wire  wheel  and  one  of  'em  stands  up  on  his 
hind  legs." 

"Well,  perhaps  we  can  use  them,"  said  the 
actor.  "Now  I'll  tell  you  a  little  about  the  play 
I  am  going  to  write  for  you.  It  will  be  in  three 
acts.  One  act  will  be  in  the  meadow,  as  we  have 
the  scenery  for  that  and  must  use  what  we  have. 
Another  act  will  be  in  the  barnyard,  and  we  can 
use  as  many  animals  there  as  we  can  get.    Then 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  101 

Giving  a  Show 

we'll  have  the  last  act  in  the  orchard,  and  you 
children  can  be  in  swings,  in  the  trees,  or  playing 
around." 

"We've  got  only  one  tree  and  not  many  of  us 
can  get  in  that,"  objected  Charlie  Star. 

"Well,  perhaps  I  can  rig  up  another  tree — 
or  something  that  will  do,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell. 
"We'll  decide  about  that  later.  Now  as  to  the 
play.  I  thought  I'd  have  it  very  simple.  It's 
about  an  old  man  and  two  children  who  have 
lived  in  the  city  all  their  lives.  They  are  in  the 
show  business  and  they  get  tired  of  it.  One  day 
while  traveling  about  they  miss  their  train, 
and  they  are  left  in  a  lonely  country  town. 

"At  first  they  don't  like  it,  but  when  they  see 
how  quiet  and  peaceful  it  is,  after  the  hot,  noisy 
city,  they  decide  to  stay.  They  reach  a  farm- 
house and  find  some  children  who  are  tired  of 
the  country  and  want  to  go  to  the  city.  The 
old  man  and  the  city  children  tell  the  country 
children  about  how  hot  it  is  in  town,  and  advise 
them  to  stay  in  the  fields  and  meadows. 

"Then  the  old  man  and  the  children  with  him 
do  some  of  the  things  they  used  to  do  in  a  city 
theater,  and  the  country  children  do  some  of  the 


102  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

things  they*do  Friday  afternoons  at  school.  And 
they  all  have  a  good  time.  Then  they  hear 
about  some  poor  people  who  live  in  a  hospital,, 
or  some  place  like  that,  and  they  decide  to  get 
up  a  show  to  make  money  to  give  to  the  poor 
folks  who  haven't  had  much  joy  in  life.  So  they 
give  a  little  show,  make  some  money  and  all 
ends  happily.    How  do  you  like  that?" 

No  one  spoke  for  a  moment,  and  then  Bunny 
cried : 

"Why — why  that's  just  like  you  and — and  us, 
Mr.  Treadwell!  It's  almost  real — like  it  is 
here." 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  actor,  "I  thought  I'd  make 
it  as  real  as  possible,  and  as  natural.  It  will  go 
better  that  way.    Do  you  like  it?" 

"Oh,  it's  lovely!"  said  Sue.  "I  hope  Sadie 
West  will  speak  the  piece  about  a  Dolly's 
Prayer." 

"Yes,  she  speaks  that  very  nicely,"  said  Mary- 
Watson. 

"Then  we'll  have  her  do  it  in  our  little  play," 
decided  Mr.  Treadwell.  "And  now  I'll  start 
to  work  writing  the  play  and  we  can  soon  begin 
to  practice." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  103 

Giving  a  Show 

'And  we  really  can  give  the  money  to  the 
Blind  Home  here,  instead  of  to  the  Red  Cross, 
maybe,"  said  Bunny.  "Once  mother  and  some 
ladies  got  up  an  entertainment  arid  they  made 
'most  fifty  dollars  for  the  Blind  Home." 

"I  hope  we  can  make  as  much,"  said  Lucile. 
"It's  dreadful  to  be  blind.  I  feel  so  sorry  for 
our  Uncle  Bill.    I  wish  we  could  find  him." 

"And  I  wish  we  could  find  Uncle  Simon  and 
Aunt  Sallie,"  added  Mart.  "But  still  we  like  it 
here,"  he  hastened  to  add,  lest  Bunny  and  Sue 
might  think  he  and  his  sister  did  not  care 
for  all  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  had  done  for 
them. 

In  the  week  that  followed  Mr.  Treadwellr 
when  he  was  not  working  in  Mr.  Brown's  office, 
keeping  books,  wrote  away  at  the  little  play. 
Mart,  too,  when  he  was  not  busy  at  the  dock, 
helping  Bunker  Blue,  did  what  he  could  to  get 
ready  for  the  show.  The  children  did  not  tell 
any  one  except  their  fathers  and  mothers  what 
it  was  to  be  about. 

"It  must  be  a  secret,"  said  Bunny  Brown. 
"Then  everybody  will  buy  a  ticket  to  come  and 
see  it." 


104  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"But  where  are  we  going  to  have  the  show?" 
asked  Sue  of  Bunny  one  night. 

"I  don't  know,"  Bunny  answered. 

"I  must  begin  to  look  around  for  a  place  for 
you,"  said  Mr.  Brown.  "I  did  think  we  could 
use  the  old  moving  picture  theater,  but  that  has 
been  sold  and  is  being  torn  down.  But  we'll 
find  some  place.  How  are  you  coming  on  with 
the  children's  play?"  he  asked  the  impersonator. 

"Very  well,  I  think,"  was  the  answer.  "We'll 
soon  be  ready  for  a  trial,  or  rehearsal,  as  it  is 
called.  Have  you  heard  anything  about  the 
uncle  and  aunt  of  Mart  and  Lucile?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Brown,  "I  haven't.  I  have 
written  several  letters  hoping  to  get  some  word, 
but  I  haven't  as  yet.  I  can't  even  find  out  where 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  are.  They  might  have 
found  the  address  of  the  children's  Aunt  Sallie 
and  Uncle  Simon.  But  Jackson  seems  to  have 
vanished  after  his  show  failed." 

"Yes,  that  often  happens,"  said  Mr.  Tread- 
well. 

"If  we  could  only  find  our  Uncle  Bill  he 
could  tell  us  just  what  we  want  to  know,"  said 
Mart.    "But  I  don't  know  where  he  is." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  J05 

Giving  a  Show 

"Could  he,  by  any  chance,  be  in  this  Blind 
Home  just  outside  of  your  town?"  asked  the 
actor. 

"No,  I  thought  of  that,  and  inquired,"  said 
Mr.  Brown.  "There  is  no  person  named  Clay- 
ton in  the  place.    Well,  we'll  just  keep  on  hop- 

ing." 

The  weather  was  now  getting  colder.  Thanks- 
giving came,  and  there  were  jolly  good  times  in 
the  Brown  home.  Mart  and  Lucile  said  they 
had  never  had  such  a  happy  holiday  since  their 
own  folks  were  with  them,  and  Mr.  Treadwell, 
who  was  invited  to  dinner,  told  such  funny  jokes 
and  stories,  making  believe  he  was  a  colored 
man,  or  an  Irishman,  at  times,  that  he  had  every 
one  laughing.  Bunker  Blue  came  to  dinner 
also,  and  he  said  he  had  had  as  much  fun  as  if 
he  had  been  to  the  theater. 

"You'll  come  to  our  show,  won't  you, 
Bunker?"  asked  Bunny,  when  he  could  eat  no 
more. 

"Oh,  sure,  I'll  come!"  said  the  fish  boy.  "And 
I'll  clap  as  loud  as  I  can  when  you  get  in  the 
water  trough." 

"I'm  not  going  to  get  in,"  decided  Bunny. 


106  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"I'm  going  to  let  Charlie  Star  do  that — he's 
smaller  'n  I  am." 

The  children  were  given  their  parts  for  the 
farm  play,  and  they  practiced  whenever  they 
had  a  chance  over  the  garage.  The  scenery  was 
still  stored  there,  and  Mr.  Brown  was  trying  to 
find  a  place  in  town  large  enough  for  the  show 
to  be  given. 

It  was  one  evening  after  a  day  of  practice,  and 
while  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others  in  the  Brown 
house  were  talking  about  the  play,  that  a  ring 
came  at  the  front  door. 

"Oh,  maybe  that's  a  special  delivery  letter  to 
say  our  uncle  and  aunt  have  been  heard  from!" 
exclaimed  Lucile. 

"Oh,  if  it  should  be!"  murmured  Sue,  hope- 
fully. 

But  it  was  Mr.  Raymond,  the  hardware  store 
keeper,  in  whose  place  Wango  the  monkey  had 
once  got  loose. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Brown,"  was  Mr.  Ray-1 
mond's  greeting  as  he  came  in.  "I  heard  you 
were  looking  for  a  place  for  the  children  to  give 
some  sort  of  entertainment — is  that  so?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  answer.    "I  did  hope  we  might 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  107 

Giving  a  Show 

get  the  old  moving  picture  theater,  but  that's 
been  sold,  and  I  really  don't  know  what  to  do. 
We  have  the  scenery,  the  children  have  nearly 
learned  their  parts,  but  we  have  no  place  to  give 
the  show." 

"Well,  I've  come  to  tell  you  where  you  can 
find  a  place,"  said  the  hardware  man,  and  Bunny 
and  Sue  clapped  their  hands  in  delight. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  STRANGE  VOICE 

"THIS  is  very  kind  of  you,  I'm  sure,  Mr.  Ray- 
mond," said  Mr.  Brown.  "I  didn't  know  there 
was  any  place  in  town  I  hadn't  thought  of.  The 
church  will  hardly  do,  and  the  Opera  House 
costs  too  much  to  hire  for  a  simple  little  play. 
The  town  meeting  hall  is  too  small,  and  I  was 
thinking  we'd  have  to  get  a  tent,  perhaps. 

"No,  you  won't  have  to  do  that,"  said  the  mer- 
chant. "You  know  there's  a  big  loft  over  my 
store,  don't  you?" 

"Yes,  but  I  thought  you  had  that  piled  full 
of  things,"  said  Mr.  Brown. 

"Well,  it  was,  but  it's  partly  cleaned  out  now," 
was  the  answer.  "I'm  going  to  clean  out  the 
rest,  and  you  can  have  that  place  for  your  show, 
and  welcome.  It  won't  cost  you  a  penny  for 
rent." 

"Oh!  Oh!"  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue 
fairly  squealed  in  delight. 

"I'm  glad  you  like  it,"  said  Mr.  Raymond 
with  a  smile.    "I  was  up  in  my  attic,  as  I  call 

108 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  109 

Giving  a  Show 

it,  the  other  day,  and  after  I  got  to  thinking 
about  cleaning  it  out  I  thought  of  you  children 
and  your  show.  I  heard  some  one  say  that  Mr. 
Brown  couldn't  get  just  the  place  that  would 
suit,  so  began  to  measure  around,  and  I  think 
mine  will  do." 

"I'm  sure  it/will,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

"But  is  there  a  stage  and  are  there  seats  for 
the  audience?"  asked  Mart,  who  was  the  first  to 
think  of  these  things. 

"No,  there  isn't  a  stage,  nor  yet  any  seats," 
said  Mr.  Raymond,  and  at  hearing  this  Bunny 
and  Sue  looked  disappointed.  But  they  bright- 
ened up  when  Mr.  Raymond  went  on  with  a 
smile: 

"I'm  going  to  build  a  stage  in  the  place,  and 
also  put  in  seats.  It's  about  time  we  had,  in  this 
town,  some  place  where  little  shows  and  enter- 
tainments can  be  given.  The  town  hall  is  too 
small,  and  the  Opera  House  is  too  big.  I'm  go- 
ing to  make  mine  in-between." 

"Like  the  big  bear  and  the  little  bear  and  the 
middle-sized  bear!"  laughed  Sue. 

"That's  it,"  said  Mr.  Raymond.  "I  expect 
to  make  some  money  by  renting  out  my  hall 


1 10  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

after  I  get  it  fixed  up.  But  I'm  going  to  let  you 
folks  have  it  for  nothing  this  time,"  he  was 
quick  to  say.  "It  will  advertise  the  place,  and 
people  will  know  about  it.  So  now  if  you'd  like 
it  I'll  go  ahead  and  fix  up  the  stage  and  the 
seats,  and  as  soon  as  it's  ready  you  can  move 
your  scenery  in  and  have  your  show,  Bunny 
Brown." 

"Will  it  be  ready  in  time  for  a  Christmas  en- 
tertainment?" asked  Lucile. 

"Oh,  yes,  I'll  see' to  that!"  promised  Mr.  Ray- 
mond. 

"Well,  I'm  sure  we  can't  thank  you  enough," 
said  Mr.  Brown.  "I  had  promised  the  children 
a  place  for  their  show,  but  I  was  just  beginning 
to  think  I  couldn't  find  onee  This  will  be  just 
the  thing." 

"And  Mr.  Raymond  can  come  to  our  play 
for  nothing!"  cried  Bunny. 

"Yes,  I  think  that's  the  least  we  can  offer 
him,"  laughed  Mrs.  Brown. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  town  the  next 
day,  especially  among  the  boys  and  girls,  when 
it  became  known  that  a  new  hall  was  to  be  built 
over  the  hardware  store,  and  it  can  be  easily  be- 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  111 

Giving  a  Show 

lieved  that  Bunny,  Sue,  and  their  friends  who 
were  to  be  in  the  play,  "Down  on  the  Farm," 
were  more  excited  than  any  one  else. 

-While  they  waited  for  Mr.  Raymond  to  have 
his  "attic,"  as  he  called  it,  cleaned  out  and  the 
stage  built  and  seats  put  in,  Bunny  and  Sue, 
with  Mart  and  Lucile,  had  plenty  of  fun,  as 
well  as  some  work.  For  it  was  work  to  get  up 
a  play,  as  the  children  soon  found  out.  Mr. 
Treadwell  did  his  part,  in  writing  the  different 
parts  the  boy  and  girl  actors  were  to  speak,  but 
the  boys  and  girls  themselves  had  to  learn  them 
by  heart,  and  it  was  not  as  easy  as  learning  to 
speak  a  "single  piece"  for  Friday  afternoon  at 
school. 

But  every  one  did  his  or  her  best,  and  soon  it 
was  felt  that  the  play  was  coming  on  "in  fine 
shape,"  as  the  actor  said.  It  was  easier  for  Mart 
and  Lucile  to  learn  their  parts,  as  they  were 
used  to  appearing  on  the  stage. 

When  the  children  were  not  practicing  they 
had  fun  on  the  snow  and  ice,  for  winter  had  set 
in  early  that  year,  and  there  was  plenty  of  coast- 
ing and  skating. 

One  day  Mart  and  his  sister  came  back  to  the 


112  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Brown  house,  having  been  downtown  to  see  how 
the  new  hall  for  the  play  was  coming  on — Ray- 
mond Hall  it  was  to  be  called. 

"Is  it  'most  ready?"  asked  Bunny,  who  opened 
the  door  for  the  boy  acrobat  and  his  singing 
sister. 

"Yes,"  was  the  answer.  "Mr.  Raymond  has 
had  the  stage  built  and  they  are  putting  in  the 
seats  to-day.  Was  there  any  mail  for  us,  Bun- 
ny?" Mart  asked. 

"No,"  answered  the  little  boy. 

"Oh  dear!"  sighed  Lucile.  "I  don't  believe 
we'll  ever  hear  from  our  folks.  I  guess  they've 
forgotten  us!" 

"Maybe  you'll  hear  at  Christmas,"  said  Sue 
softly.  "You  get  things  at  Christmas  you  don't 
get  in  all  the  year,  and  maybe  you'll  get  the 
letter  you  want,  Lucile." 

"I  hope  so,"  was  the  answer.  "It's  lonesome 
not  to  have  any  folks  writing  to  you.  But  of 
course  we  love  it  here!"  she  made  haste  to  add, 
for  indeed  the  Browns  were  very  kind  to  the 
boy  and  the  girl,  and  also  to  Mr.  Treadwell, 
who  seemed  to  like  it  in  Bellemere. 

At  last  the  new  hall  was  finished,  the  farm 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  X 13 

Giving  a  Show 

scenery  Mr.  Brown  had  bought  was  moved  in, 
and  one  bright,  sunny  day,  with  the  sparkling 
white  snow  on  the  ground  outside,  the  boys  and 
girls  gathered  over  the  hardware  store  for  prac- 
tice. 

"Now  we  will  try  the  first  act,"  said  Mr. 
Treadwell,  when  the  meadow  scene  had  been 
set  up  on  the  stage,  and  it  "looked  as  real  as  any- 
thing!" as  Sue  whispered  to  Sadie  West. 

"Take  your  places!"  said  the  actor.  "Re- 
member now,  Bunny  and  Sue  are  supposed  to 
be  picking  daisies  in  the  meadow,  and  you  other 
children  are  picking  buttercups.  All  at  once 
an  old  tramp  comes  along  the  road — which  is 
the  front  of  the  stage,  as  I've  told  you." 

"Oh,  I  don't  want  to  play  if  there's  going  to 
be  an  old  twamp  in  it!"  exclaimed  little  Belle 
Hanson.  "I  don't  like  twamps!  They's  awful 
dirty!" 

"It  isn't  a  real  tramp,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell. 
"I  dress  up  like  one,  Belle,"  for  he  had  ar- 
ranged to  have  a  number  of  costumes  for  him- 
self so  he  could  take  different  parts  in  the  little 
play. 

"Well,  if  it's  just  a  play  twamp  all  wight," 


114  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

said  Belle.  "They's  wagged  maybe,  but  not 
dirty." 

The  children  were  told  what  they  must  do 
and  say  for  the  first  act.  They  had  practiced 
it  over  and  over  again,  but  even  then  some  of 
them  would  forget  at  times. 

"Now  we're  all  ready,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell, 
at  length.  "Start  to  pick  daisies,  Bunny  and 
Sue,  and  the  rest  of  you  pick  buttercups.  Then 
I'll  make  believe  I'm  a  tramp  and  come  along 
the  road." 

'As  this  was  not  what  is  called  a  "dress  re- 
hearsal" neither  Mr.  Treadwell  nor  the  chil- 
dren had  on  any  special  costumes.  They  were 
wearing  their  everyday  clothes. 

Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others  took  their  places, 
and  spoke  their  proper  lines. 

"Oh,  here  comes  a  tramp!"  suddenly  cried 
Sue  to  her  brother,  as  she  was  supposed  to  do  in 
the  play  when  Mr.  Treadwell  appeared  on  the 
stage.    "Here  comes  a  tramp!" 

Now  Bunny  was  supposed  to  have  a  speech 
at  this  point,  but  no  sooner  had  Sue  cried  out 
just  as  she  had  been  taught  to  do,  than  a  strange 
voice  answered  her,  saying: 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  115 

Giving  a  Show 

"A  tramp  is  it!  Set  the  dog  on  him!  Here, 
Towser!  Get  after  the  tramp!  No  tramps  al- 
lowed around  here!  Bow!  Wow!  Wow!"  and 
then  came  a  shrill  whistle  as  of  some  one  calling 
a  dog. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  SURPRISE 

Mr.  Treadwell,  who  was  closely  watching 
Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue,  to  see  that  they 
did  their  first  part  in  the  play  all  right,  looked 
up  in  surprise  as  he  heard  the  strange  voice 
speaking  about  the  tramp,  calling  the  dog  and 
whistling. 

"Please  don't  do  that,"  said  the  actor.  "That 
isn't  in  the  play.    Who  said  it?" 

"No — nobody — I  guess,"  replied  Charlie 
Star. 

"Well,  somebody  must  have  said  it,  for  I 
heard  it,"  replied  Mr.  Treadwell,  with  a  smile. 
"Don't  do  it  again!  Now  Bunny  and  Sue  try 
it  again.  Make  believe,  Sue,  that  you  see  a 
tramp  coming  down  the  road.  I'm  to  be  the 
tramp,  you  know,  and  on  the  night  of  the  show 
I'll  really  dress  up  like  one.    Now  go  on." 

Bunny  looked  at  Sue  and  Sue  looked  at 
Bunny.  The  other  children  in  the  play  also 
looked  at  one  another.  They  were  sure  none  of 
them    had    spoken,    and   yet    Mr.    Treadwell 

116 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  117 

Giving  a  Show 

seemed  to  think  the  voice  had  been  one  of  theirs. 

"Oh,  here  comes  a  tramp!"  cried  Sue  once 
more,  and  Bunny  was  just  about  to  repeat  his 
part,  when,  again,  came  the  strange,  shrill  voice, 
saying : 

"No  tramps  allowed!  No  tramps  wanted! 
Give  him  a  cold  potato  and  let  him  go  I" 

"Oh,  I'm  not  going  to  stay  here!"  suddenly 
cried  Sadie  West. 

"There  is  something  funny  here,"  said  Bunny 
Brown.  "None  of  us  is  talking  and  yet  we  hear 
a  voice." 

Mr.  Treadwell,  who  had  been  looking  over 
the  papers  on  which  he  had  written  down  the 
different  parts  of  the  play,  looked  up  quickly 
when  he  again  heard  the  strange  voice.  He  was 
just  about  to  ask  who  had  called  out  when  some- 
thing fluttered  down  out  of  the  stage  tree  which 
was  to  be  set  up  in  the  orchard  scene.  The  tree 
was  off  to  one  side,  in  what  are  called  in  theater 
talk,  the  "wings."  Out  of  the  tree  fluttered 
something  with  flapping  wings. 

"It's  a  big  owl!"  cried  George  Watson. 

"Don't  let  it  get  hold  of  your  hair  or  it'll  pull 
it  all  out!"  called  Sue.    "Owls  feets  gets  tangled 


118  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

in  your  hair,"  and  she  put  her  hands  over  her 
head. 

"Pooh!  They  don't  either!"  cried  Helen 
Newton. 

The  children  were  rushing  here  and  there 
about  the  stage,  and  Mr.  Treadwell  was  trying 
to  see  where  the  strange  bird  was  going  to  light, 
when  Bunny  Brown  cried  out: 

"  'Tisn't  an  owl  at  all!  It's  Mr.  Jed  Wink- 
ler's parrot!" 

And  when  the  fluttering  bird  had  come  to  rest 
on  top  of  the  stage  barn,  it  was  seen  that  it  was 
just  what  Bunny  said — a  big,  green  parrot. 
There  it  perched,  picking  at  a  make  believe 
shingle  with  its  hooked  bill,  and  calling  in  its 
shrill  voice: 

"No  tramps  allowed!  No  tramps  allowed! 
Call  the  dog!  Here,  Towser!  Give  him  a  cold 
potato  and  let  him  go!    Bow  wow!" 

Then  how  all  the  children  laughed! 

"Why,  it  surely  is  Mr.  Winkler's  parrot!" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Treadwell,  as  he  looked  at  the 
green  bird.  "He  was  safe  in  his  cage  when  I 
came  out  this  morning,  but  he  must  have  got 
loose.    I'd  better  go  and  tell  Miss  Winkler,  for 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  119, 

Giving  a  Show 

she  likes  the  parrot  as  much  as  she  doesn't  like 
Jed's  monkey.  She  told  me  she  was  teaching  the 
parrot  to  say  some  new  words,  but  I  didn't  know 
they  were  about  tramps  or  I  would  have  known 
right  away  it  wasn't  any  of  you  children  speak- 
ing during  the  play.  Come  on  down,  Polly  I" 
called  the  actor  to  the  green  bird. 

But  Polly  seemed  to  like  it  up  on  top  of  the 
stage  barn,  and  from  the  top  of  the  roof  it  cried 
again : 

"No  tramps!  No  tramps  allowed!  Towser, 
get  after  the  tramps!" 

The  children  laughed  again,  and  Mr!  Tread- 
well  said: 

"It  wouldn't  do  to  have  the  parrot  in  the  play, 
or  he'd  spoil  the  first  scene.  Now  I'd  better  go 
and  tell  Miss  Winkler  where  she  can  find  the 
bird." 

But  he  was  saved  this  trouble,  for  just  then 
Miss  Winkler  herself  came  up  the  stairs  lead- 
ing from  the  hall  at  one  side  of  the  hardware 
store. 

"Is  my  parrot  here,  Mr.  Treadwell?"  she 
asked  the  actor  who  boarded  at  her  house.  "I 
let  him  out  of  his  cage  when  I  was  cleaning  it  a 


120  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

while  ago,  and  when  I  looked  for  him,  to  put 
him  back,  he  was  gone.  One  of  my  windows 
was  open  and  he  must  have  flown  out.  Some  of 
my  neighbors  said  they  saw  a  big  bird  flying 
toward  the  hardware  store,  so  I  came  over.  Mr. 
Raymond  and  I  couldn't  find  him  downstairs, 
and  he  told  me  to  look  up  here.  Have  you  seen 
Polly?" 

The  big,  green  bird  answered  for  himself 
then,  for  he  cried  out: 

"Look  out  for  tramps!" 

"Oh,  there  you  are!"  exclaimed  Miss  Wink- 
ler. "Aren't  you  ashamed  of  yourself,  Polly, 
to  fly  off  like  that?  You'll  catch  your  death  of 
cold,  too,  coming  out  this  wintry  weather!  Here, 
come  to  me!" 

She  held  out  her  hand,  and  the  parrot  flut- 
tered down  to  one  finger.  Miss  Winkler 
scratched  the  green  bird's  head,  and  the  parrot 
seemed  to  like  this. 

"No  tramps  allowed!"  he  cried. 

"I  taught  him  to  say  that!"  said  Miss  Wink- 
ler. "I  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  a 
parrot  to  say.  Often  tramps  come  around  when 
Jed  isn't  at  home,  and  if  they  hear  Polly  speak- 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  121 

Giving  a  Show 

ing  they'll  think  it's  a  man  and  go  away.    Now, 
Polly,  we'll  go  home!" 

"No  tramps  allowed!"  said  the  bird  again. 

"I  hope  my  parrot  didn't  spoil  the  play," 
said  Miss  Winkler  to  Mr.  Treadwell  and  the 
children. 

"Oh,  no,"  answered  the  actor.  "We  didn't 
know  he  was  in  here,  and  when  he  began  talking 
I  thought  it  was  one  of  the  boys  or  girls  speak- 
ing out  of  turn.    But  he  did  no  harm." 

"I'm  glad  of  that,"  said  the  elderly  woman. 
"A  parrot  is  a  heap  sight  better  than  a  monkey, 
I  tell  Jed.  He  ought  to  teach  Wango  to  talk, 
and  then  he'd  be  of  some  use!" 

The  children  laughed  as  she  went  downstairs 
with  the  parrot  on  her  finger,  and  Sue  said: 

"A  monkey  would  be  funny  if  he  could  talk, 
wouldn't  he?" 

"I  should  say  so!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Treadwell. 
"But  now,  children,  we'll  get  on  with  the  play." 

Miss  Winkler  took  her  parrot  home  and  shut 
him,  or  her,  up  in  a  cage.  Sometimes  "Polly" 
was  called  "him,"  and  again  "her."  It  didn't 
seem  to  matter  which.  The  bird  had  got  out  of 
an  open  window  when  Miss  Winkler  was  busy 


122  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

in  another  room,  and,  like  the  monkey,  had  gone 
to  the  store  of  Mr.  Raymond,  not  far  away. 

I  need  not  tell  you  about  the  practice  for  the 
play,  as  it  took  so  long  for  each  boy  and  girl  to 
learn  his  or  her  part,  and  how  to  come  on  and 
go  off  the  stage  at  the  right  time.  At  the  proper 
place  I'll  tell  you  all  about  the  play,  but  just 
now  I'll  say  that  for  several  days  there  was  hard 
practice  with  Mr.  Treadwell,  Mart,  and  Lucile 
to  help,  or  "coach,"  as  it  is  called,  the  children. 

"Do  you  think  we'll  be  ready  by  Christmas?" 
asked  Bunny  one  day. 

"Oh,  surely,"  answered  the  actor.  It  was 
planned  to  have  the  play,  "Down  on  the  Farm," 
given  Christmas  afternoon,  and  the  money  was 
to  go  to  the  Home  for  the  Blind  in  Bellemere, 
and  not  the  Red  Cross. 

"Oh,  it's  snowing  again!"  cried  Bunny 
Brown,  as  he  ran  into  the  house  one  afternoon, 
when  he  and  Sue  came  home  from  school.  "May 
we  take  our  sleds  out,  Mother?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  answered  Mrs.  Brown. 

"Where's  Lucile?"  asked  Sue.  "Can't  she 
come  and  sleigh  ride  with  us?" 

"She  and  Mart  are  out  in  the  pony  stable," 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  123 

Giving  a  Show 

answered  Sue's  mother.  "Your  father  let  Mart 
come  home  early  from  the  office,  and  he  and 
his  sister  have  been  out  in  the  barn  ever  since. 
I  can't  say  what  they're  doing.  Maybe  you'd 
better  go  and  see." 

"Come  on,  Sue!"  cried  Bunny  Brown.  "May- 
be they're  practicing  some  new  acts  for  the 
play." 

But  when  Bunny  and  his  sister  entered  the 
stable  where  the  Shetland  pony  was  kept,  a 
sound  of  hammering  was  heard. 

"Are  you  here,  Mart?"  called  Bunny. 

"Yes,"  was  the  answer.  "Come  and  see  what 
Lucile  and  I  have  made  for  you  and  Sue!" 

Bunny  and  his  sister  hurried  into  the  room 
where  the  little  pony  cart  stood,  and  there  they 
saw  something  that  made  them  open  their  eyes 
in  delight. 


CHAPTER  XIll 

"they're  gone" 

The  pony  cart,  which  generally  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  barn  floor  next  to  the  stall  of 
Toby,  the  little  Shetland,  had  been  rolled  back 
out  of  the  way,  and  in  its  place  stood  what  first 
seemed  to  Sue  and  Bunny  to  be  a  large  box. 
But  when  they  looked  a  second  time,  they  saw 
that  the  box  was  fastened  on  a  large  sled — larger 
than  either  of  their  small  ones. 

"What  are  you  makin'?"  asked  Sue. 

"Oh,  something  to  give  you  and  Bunny  a 
pony  ride,"  answered  Mart. 

"Oh,  it's  a  pony  sled,  isn't  it?"  cried  Bunny. 

"Well,  yes,  something  like  that,"  was  the  an- 
swer, given  with  a  smile.  "There  wasn't  much 
to  do  down  at  the  dock  to-day,  so  your  father 
let  me  off  early.  On  my  way  home  I  saw  this 
large  sled  at  Mr.  Raymond's  store.  It  was 
broken,  so  he  let  me  buy  it  cheap.  I  brought 
it  here,  mended  it,  and  fastened  on  it  this  dry- 
goods  box.  Lucile  helped  me,  and  she  lined  it 
with  an  old  blanket  your  mother  gave  us.    Now 

124 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  125 

Giving  a  Show 

what  do  you  think  of  your  sled?"  and  Mart 
stepped  back  out  of  the  way  so  Bunny  and  Sue 
could  see  what  he  had  made. 

"Oh,  it's  just — just  dandy!"  cried  the  little 
boy. 

"And  it's  a  real  seat  in  it!"  exclaimed  Sue. 

"Yes,  we  took  a  smaller  box  and  put  it  inside 
the  large  one  for  a  seat,"  explained  Lucile. 
"Now  don't  you  want  to  go  for  a  ride?" 

"I — I — oh,  it's  dandy,"  cried  Bunny,  his  eyes 
round  with  pleasure. 

"See,"  went  on  Mart,  "I  am  going  to  take  the 
thills  off  the  pony  cart  and  fasten  them  on  this 
sled.  Then  you  can  hitch  up  the  Shetland  and 
go  for  a  ride." 

"Oh!  Oh!"  squealed  Sue,  in  delight,  as  she 
jumped  up  and  down  on  the  barn  floor. 

"Say,  this  is  more  than  dandy!"  cried  Bunny. 
"It's  Jim  Dandy!" 

He  went  closer  to  Took  at  the  home-made  sled 
while  Mart  took  the  shafts  from  the  pony  cart 
and  fastened  them  on  the  dry  goods  box  at  a 
place  he  had  made  for  that  purpose. 

"Why,  there's  room  for  all  four  of  us  in  the 
sled!"  said  Bunny,  as  he  noticed  how  large  the 


126  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

box  was.  "And  our  pony  can  pull  four.  He's 
done  it  lots  of  times." 

"Well,  then  I  guess  he  can  do  it  on  the  slip- 
|pery  snow,"  said  Mart.  "We'll  come  if  you 
want  us  to,  Bunny." 

"Of  course  I  want  you!"  said  the  little  boy. 

"And  Lucile,  too!"  added  Sue,  for  she  was 
very  fond  of  the  singing  girl  actress. 

"Yes,  I'll  come,"  said  Lucile.  "But  if  you 
drive,  Bunny,  you  must  promise  not  to  go  too 
fast." 

"Oh,  I'll  go  slow,"  he  agreed. 

"Maybe  the  snow'll  stop  and  then  we  can't 
go  riding,"  Sue  said. 

"Oh,  go  and  look  and  see  if  it  has!"  cried  her 
brother.  "That  would  be  too  bad,  wouldn't  it, 
to  have  the  snow  stop  after  Mart  had  made  such 
a  fine  sled?" 

But   a   look   out   the   window   of   the   barn 

showed  the  white  flakes  still  swirling  down,  and 

I Bunny  and  Sue  laughed  and  clapped  their  hands 

■in  delight  as  Mart  brought  the  pony  from  his 

stall. 

Everything  was  just  right.  The  pony  backed 
in  between  the  shafts,  and  soon  drew  the  new 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  127 

Giving  a  Show 

sled  outside  where  the  newly  fallen  snow  let  it 
slip  easily  along. 

"It  will  look  nicer  when  it's  painted,"  said 
Mart. 

"I  think  it's  nice  now!"  said  Bunny. 

"Terrible  nice!"  agreed  Sue. 

"Well,  get  in,  and  we'll  have  a  ride,"  sug- 
gested Lucile.    "Can  you  drive,  Bunny?" 

"Oh,  yes!"  was  the  answer;  and  Bunny  soon 
showed  that  he  could  by  taking  the  reins  and 
guiding  the  pony  around  to  the  front  of  the 
house. 

"Come  on  out,  Mother,  and  see  what  we 
have!"  cried  Sue,  as  Bunny  stopped  the  little 
horse. 

"Oh,  isn't  that  just  fine!"  laughed  Mrs. 
Brown,  as  she  came  to  the  door.  "What  a  nice 
surprise  for  you  children!  Did  you  thank  Mart 
and  Lucile  for  making  it?" 

"I — I  guess  we  forgot,"  said  Bunny.  "But 
were're  glad  you  live  with  us,"  he  said  to  the 
boy  actor  and  his  sister. 

"So  are  we!"  laughed  Lucile.  "This  is  more 
fun  than  going  about  from  one  place  to  another, 
and  traveling  half  the  night." 


128  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"I'm  glad,  too,"  said  Sue.  "Now  let's  go  for 
a  ride." 

And  they  did,  down  the  village  street,  stop- 
ping now  and  then  to  let  some  of  their  boy  or 
girl  friends  look  at  the  new  pony  sled  Mart  had 
made  from  an  old  drygoods  box  and  the  broken 
"bob"  from  the  hardware  store. 

The  white  flakes  sifted  down,  like  feathers 
from  a  big  goose  flying  high  in  the  air,  the  bells 
on  the  Shetland  pony  jingled,  and  Bunny  and 
Sue  thought  that  never  had  they  been  so  happy. 

The  snow  lasted  several  days,  and  each  day 
after  school  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue 
went  for  a  pony  ride  in  the  jolly  sled.  Mart 
had  painted  it  a  bright  red,  and  it  really  looked 
very  nice. 

"That  boy  is  handy  with  tools,"  said  Mr. 
Brown  to  his  wife  one  day,  when  they  were  talk- 
ing about  Mart  and  wondering  if  he  and  Lucile 
would  ever  find  their  relatives.  "If  he'd  like 
to  stay  with  me  he  would  be  good  help  around 
the  boats  in  the  summer.  He  and  Bunker  Blue 
are  good  friends,  and  one  helps  the  other." 

"Lucile  is  good  help  around  the  house,"  said 
Mrs.   Brown.     "I'd  love  to  have  them  with 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  129 

Giving  a  Show 

me  always,  but  of  course  if  they  have  relatives 
it  would  be  better  for  them  to  live  in  their  own 
home.  Do  you  think  the  chirdren's  play  will 
be  nice?" 

"Oh,  I'm  sure  it  will.  Mr.  Treadwell  says 
they  are  doing  nicely.  I  don't  suppose  they  will 
make  much  money,  but  they'll  have  the  fun  of 
it,  and  it  is  good  for  children  to  try  to  help 
others,  as  Bunny,  Sue,  and  their  friends  are  hop- 
ing to  help  the  Home  for  the  Blind." 

"It's  too  bad  about  Mart's  blind  uncle,  isn't 
it?    Do  you  think  he'll  ever  be  found?" 

"Well,  we  can  only  hope,"  said  Mr.  Brown. 

Though  Bunny  and  Sue  had  fun  in  the  snow 
and  on  the  ice  they  did  not  forget  to  practice 
for  the  new  play,  nor  did  the  other  children. 
Qne  afternoon  all  the  little  actors  and  actresses 
were  assembled  in  the  new  hall  over  the  hard- 
ware store.  A  rehearsal  was  going  on,  and 
nearly  all  the  mothers  of  the  children  were 
there,  as  Mr.  Treadwell  had  asked  them  to  come 
so  he  might  talk  to  them  about  the  costumes 
that  had  to  be  made  for  the  little  girls  and  boys. 

Just  after  the  second  scene,  which  took  place 
'partly  in  the  barnyard,  and  partly  in  the  barn 


130  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

itself,  Will  Laydon  came  walking  out  to  the 
middle  of  the  stage  where  Mr.  Treadwell  stood. 

"They — they're  gone!"  exclaimed  Will,  seem^ 
ingly  much  excited. 

"Just  a  moment,"  said  the  actor,  who  was 
talking  to  Mrs.  Brown.  "I'll  attend  to  you  in 
a  minute,  Will." 

"But  they're  gone!"  exclaimed  the  boy,  and 
Mrs.  Brown  and  the  other  ladies  turned  to  look 
at  him  in  some  surprise.  "My  white  mice  got 
out  of  their  cage  just  now,"  said  Will,  "and 
they're  running  all  over.  My  white  mice  are 
loose!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

SPLASH  HANGS  ON 

FOR  a  while  there  was  a  good  deal  of  excite- 
ment and  wild  scampering  about.  Mice  ran 
here  and  mice  ran  there.  Children  scrambled 
after  them  or  scrambled  to  get  out  of  their  way. 
There  were  cries  and  shrieks  and  laughter. 

One  little  white  mouse,  frightened  and  not 
knowing  where  to  go,  ran  up  the  dress  skirt  and 
into  the  lap  of  the  mother  of  Bunny  Brown  and 
his  sister  Sue. 

"Come  here,  Will,  and  come  quick,"  called 
Mrs.  Brown  to  the  owner  of  the  white  mice.  "I 
do  not  like  your  sort  of  pet,  come  and  take  it 
away — and  come  quick,  I  say!" 

"All  right,  I'll  come,"  answered  Will. 

"Don't  be  frightened,"  called  out  Mr.  Tread- 
well.  "I'm  sure  Will's  white  mice  are  too  well- 
trained  to  harm  any  one." 

"Oh,  we're  not  afraid!" 

"They  won't  hurt  anybody,"  said  the  boy  who 
owned  the  white  pets,  and  who  was  going  to 
have  them  do  little    tricks    during   the  show. 

131 


132  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

*  Why,  they're  so  tame  they'll  crawl  ail  over  you 
and  go  to  sleep  in  your  pocket!" 

"Oh,  take  'em  away!  Take  'em  away!"  cried 
lone  girl.  "I  wouldn't  have  come  if  I  had  known 
there  were  to  be  any  mice!" 

"But  they're  white  mice,"  said  Will,  "and  I 
didn't  know  they  were  out  of  the  cage.  Some- 
body must  have  opened  the  door." 

"I'll  help  you  hunt  for  the  white  mice,"  off- 
ered Bunny  Brown.    "I'm  not  afraid  of  'em!" 

"I  aren't,  either,"  added  Sue. 

"I'm  not  zactly  'fraid  of  'em,"  said  Helen 
Newton,  ""but  they  make  you  feel  so  ticklish 
when  they  crawl  on  you!" 

"They're  nice,"  said  Bunny  Brown,  as  he 
crawled  under  a  chair  to  coax  a  white  mouse 
that  was  trying  to  hide  behind  a  paper  bag. 
"And  they'll  do  some  nice  tricks  in  our  show." 

It  took  some  little  time  to  catch  all  the  white 
mice.  Will  made  sure,  by  counting  twice,  that 
I  he  had  every  one  of  his  pets  back  in  their  wire 
cage. 

Then  Mr.  Treadwell  told  the  mothers  of  the 
little  girls  what  sort  of  costumes  the  young  ac- 
tresses and  actors  must  have  for  the  different 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  133 

Giving  a  Show 

parts  in  the  play.  Everything  was  very  simple, 
and  no  costly  costumes  need  be  bought. 

"You  see  we  want  to  make  all  the  money  we 
can  for  the  Home  for  the  Blind,"  explained 
Bunny. 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  said  Mrs.  West.  "I 
think  the  children  are  just  perfectly  fine  to  do 
things  like  this.    It  teaches  them  to  be  kind." 

After  the  talk  about  the  dresses  and  suits,  Mr. 
Treadwell  went  on  with  the  rehearsal,  or  prac- 
tice. I  have  told  you  something  of  what  the 
play  was  to  be  about,  but  changes  were  made  in 
it  from  time  to  time,  during  practice,  just  as 
changes  are  made  in  real  plays.  It  was  found 
that  one  boy  could  speak  a  piece  better  than  an- 
other boy,  so  he  was  allowed  to  do  this,  while 
the  first  boy,  perhaps,  was  given  a  funny  dance 
to  do.  The  same  with  the  girls — some  could 
sing  better  than  others.  Most  of  the  solo  sing- 
ing in  the  play  was  to  be  done  by  Lucile  Clay- 
)ton.  She  had  a  very  sweet,  clear  voice,  and  of 
course  she  had  had  more  practice  than  any  of 
the  others. 

Of  course  all  the  boys  wished  they  could  do 
some  of  the  acrobatic  work  that  Mart  was  to  do 


134  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

on  the  stage.  But  though  some  of  the  lads  of 
Bellemere,  like  Bunny  Brown,  were  pretty  good 
at  turning  somersaults  or  flipflops,  none  of  them 
was  equal  to  Mart,  who  had  been  on  the  stage 
for  several  years.  But  he  was  training  Bunny, 
Harry  Bentley,  Charlie  Star  and  George  Wat- 
son to  do  a  leap-frog  dance  which  Mr.  Tread- 
well  said  would  be  very  funny. 

Mr.  Treadwell  was  not  only  the  author  of  the 
little  play,  but  he  was  also  the  stage  director; 
that  is,  he  told  the  boys  and  girls  what  to  do  and 
when  to  do  it.  In  this  he  was  helped  by  Lucile 
and  Mart.  These  three  performers,  who  had 
been  in  such  bad  luck  when  the  vaudeville 
troupe  broke  up,  were  now  quite  happy  again. 
Mr.  Treadwell  and  Mart  were  working  for  Mr. 
Brown,  and  though  they  did  not  make  as  much 
money  as  when  they  had  been  acting  in  theaters, 
still  they  had  an  easier  time.  Lucile,  too,  liked 
it  at  Mrs.  Brown's. 

Of  course  the  two  "waifs"  as  they  were  some- 
times called,  wished  they  could  find  out  where 
there  uncle  and  aunt  were.  They  also  wanted 
to  find  their  blind  uncle.  But,  so  far,  no  trace 
of  any  of  them  was  to  be  had,  though  many  let- 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  135 

Giving  a  Show 

ters  were  written  by  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Tread- 
well. 

Mr.  Treadwell  was  a  very  busy  man.  After 
he  finished  work  at  Mr.  Brown's  office  he  would 
help  the  children  rehearse  for  the  farm  play. 
In  the  play  Mr.  Treadwell  was  to  take  several 
parts.  In  one  act  he  was  a  tramp,  and  in  another 
a  farmer.  Then,  too,  he  took  the  character  of 
a  man  from  the  city,  and  later  he  did  a  number 
of  impersonations,  using  the  costumes  he  had 
made  use  of  in  the  various  theaters. 

"Don't  you  think  we  could  have  our  dog 
Splash  in  the  play?"  asked  Bunny  of  Mr.  Tread- 
well one  afternoon  when  the  rehearsal  was  fin- 
ished. 

"Why,  yes,  I  think  so,"  was  the  answer.  "I'll 
be  thinking  up  a  part  for  him.  Has  he  good, 
strong  teeth?" 

"Oh,  yes!"  exclaimed  Sue,  who  was  standing 
beside  Bunny.  "He  has  terrible  strong  teeth! 
You  ought  to  see  him  bite  a  bone!" 

"Well,  I  don't  know  that  I  want  him  to  bite 
a  bone  on  the  stage,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell,  with  a 
laugh.    "But  we'll  see  about  it." 

Some  days  after  that,  during  which  time  Mr. 


136  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Treadwell  spent  many  hours  with  Splash  alone 
in  the  stable,  Bunny  and  Sue  were  quite  sur- 
prised on  coming  from  school  to  hear  loud  bark- 
ing in  their  yard. 

"Maybe  Splash  is  chasing  a  cat!"  exclaimed 
Bunny. 

"It  must  be  a  strange  cat,"  said  Sue;  "  'cause 
he  likes  all  the  other  cats  around  here." 

The  children  ran  around  the  corner  of  the 
house  and  there  saw  a  strange  sight.  Mr.  Tread- 
well  was  running  about  the  yard.  After  him 
ran  Splash,  and  the  dog  was  holding  tightly  to 
Mr.  Treadwell's  coat,  shaking  the  tails  as  if 
trying  to  tear  it  off  the  actor. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  screamed  Sue.  "Our  Splash  is 
mad  at  Mr.  Treadwell!" 


CHAPTER  XV 

TICKETS  FOR  THE  SHOW 

BACK  and  forth  across  the  snow-covered  yard 
ran  Mr.  Treadwell,  and  after  him  went  Splash, 
the  dog,  holding  to  the  flying  coat-tails  of  the 
actor. 

"Splash!  Splash!  Come  here  to  me!"  cried 
Bunny.    But  the  dog  did  not  obey. 

"Oh,  Mother,  come  quick!"  called  Sue.  "Our 
dog  is  going  to  eat  Mr.  Treadwell  all  up!" 

Splash,  indeed,  did  seem  very  angry,  for  he 
barked  and  growled.  He  growled  more  than  he 
barked,  for  he  could  not  open  his  mouth  wide 
enough  to  bark  when  he  was  holding  to  the  coat. 

Mrs.  Brown  rushed  to  the  kitchen  door,  and 
she  was  as  much  surprised  as  the  children  were 
at  what  she  saw. 

"Oh,  call  some  one!  Get  some  man  to  make 
-Splash  let  Mr.  Treadwell  alone!"  cried  Sue. 

The  actor,  with  the  dog  still  clinging  to  him, 
was  running  toward  the  children  now,  and,  to 
his  surprise,  Bunny  saw  that  Mr.  Treadwell  was 
laughing. 

137 


138  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Is  he — is  he  hurting  you?"  asked  the  little 
boy. 

"Not  a  bit,"  was  the  answer.  "Is  Splash 
holding  fast?" 

"He's  holding  tight!"  said  Sue.  "Oh,  is  he 
mad  at  you?" 

Before  Mr.  Treadwell  could  answer  there 
was  a  ripping  sound,  and  a  piece  of  cloth  came 
loose  from  his  coat.  The  piece  of  cloth  stayed 
in  Splash's  teeth  and  the  children's  dog  at  once 
began  to  shake  and  worry  it,  as  he  might  a  big 
rat  he  had  caught.  And  as  Splash  shook  the 
piece  of  cloth  he  growled  louder  than  before. 

"Oh,  has  he  torn  your  coat?"  asked  Mrs. 
Brown.  "I  never  knew  Splash  to  act  that  way 
before.    He  is  always  kind  and  gentle." 

"He's  all  right  now,"  answered  Mr.  Tread- 
well,  with  a  laugh.  "This  is  only  in  fun  and 
part  of  the  play." 

"Part  of  the  play!"  exclaimed  Bunny. 
"Didn't  he  really  tear  your  coat?" 

"No,"  answered  the  actor,  and,  turning 
around,  he  showed  that  his  coat  was  not  ripped 
a  bit.  Yet  Splash  certainly  had  a  piece  of  cloth 
in  his  jaws. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  139 

Giving  a  Show 

"It's  just  a  trick  I  have  been  teaching  Splash 
during  the  last  few  days,"  explained  Mr.  Tread- 
well.  "You  see,  I'm  to  take  the  part  of  a  tramp 
in  the  first  act.  Now,  most  dogs  don't  like 
tramps,  so  I  thought  I'd  have  that  sort  of  dog 
in  the  farm  play. 

"Splash  will  make  a  good  actor  dog,  I  think. 
First  I  found  a  bit  of  old  cloth  that  he  was  used 
to  playing  with  and  shaking  as  he  might  shake 
a  rat.  Then  I  sewed  this  piece  of  cloth  to  my 
coat,  so  it  would  not  pull  off  too  easily.  Then 
I  took  Splash  out  to  the  barn  to  train  him.  As 
soon  as  he  saw  his  own  private  piece  of  cloth 
sewed  on  my  coat  he  chased  after  me  and  wanted 
to  get  it.  I  ran  away  and  we  played  at  that 
game  until  Splash  did  just  what  I  wanted 
him  to. 

"That  is,  he  will  run  after  me,  grab  hold  of 
the  piece  of  cloth  sewed  fast  to  my  coat,  and  he'll 
hold  on  while  I  drag  him  about  until  the  cloth 
tears  loose  just  as  you  saw  it.  Though  Splash 
barks  and  growls,  it  is  all  done  in  fun,  and  he 
likes  the  play  very  much." 

"Is  he  going  to  do  that  on  the  stage?"  asked 
Bunny. 


140  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  hope  that's  what  he'll  do,"  said  the  actor, 
as  he  patted  the  dog,  who  came  up  to  him,  hav- 
ing given  up,  for  the  time,  the  teasing  of  the  bit 
of  cloth.  "You  see  I'm  to  be  a  tramp  in  the 
first  act  of  the  play.  I'll  come  walking  down 
the  road,  and  then,  Bunny,  you'll  let  Splash 
loose  after  me. 

"He'll  run  out  from  the  wings — that  is  from 
the  side,  you  know — and  chase  me,  for  I'll  be 
dressed  in  a  ragged  suit  and  on  my  coat-tails 
will  be  fastened  the  piece  of  cloth  your  dog 
likes  so  to  tease.  He'll  grab  hold  of  that,  hang 
on,  and  I'll  drag  him  across  the  stage.  That 
ought  to  make  the  people  laugh." 

"I  think  it  will,"  said  Bunny.  "And  they'll 
think  Splash  is  really  mad  at  you,  won't  they?" 

"I  think  they  will,  if  we  don't  let  them  know 
any  different,"  said  the  actor,  with  a  laugh.  "We 
must  keep  this  part  of  our  play  a  secret." 

"Oh,  yesl  I  love  a  secret!"  said  Sue.  "We 
won't  tell  anybody." 

"Splash  is  a  smart  dog,"  said  Bunny,  as  he 
patted  his  pet. 

"Indeed  he  isl"  declared  Mr.  Treadwell.  "He 
learned  this  hanging  on  trick  much  sooner  than 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  141 

Giving  a  Show 

I  thought  he  would.  He  likes  to  chase  after  me 
and  let  me  drag  him  by  my  coat-tails." 

After  Splash  had  had  a  little  rest  the  actor  put 
him  through  the  trick  again,  and  Bunny  and 
Sue  laughed  as  they  saw  their  dog  swinging 
about  the  yard,  making  believe  to  chase  a  tramp. 
Of  course,  Mr.  Treadwell  was  not  dressed  like 
a  tramp  now,  though  he  would  be  in  the  first 
act  of  the  play. 

If  Bunny  and  Sue  could  have  had  their  way 
they  would  not  have  gone  to  school  at  all  during 
the  days  when  they  were  getting  ready  to  give 
the  play,  "Down  on  the  Farm."  All  the  other 
boys  and  girls  who  were  to  be  in  it,  also,  would 
have  been  glad  to  stay  at  home  from  lessons, 
but,  of  course,  that  would  never  do.  But  all  the 
time  they  had  to  spare  from  their  books,  Bunny, 
Sue,  and  the  others  spent  either  in  practicing 
their  parts  or  going  to  the  hall  over  the  hard- 
ware store  where  the  performance  was  to  be 
given. 

Bunny  and  Sue  had  about  learned  their  parts 
now,  and  so  had  most  of  the  other  children. 
Some  were  slower  than  others,  and  had  to  be 
told  over  and  over  again  what  to  do.  But,  on  the 


142  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

whole,  Mr.  Treadwell  said  he  was  well  pleased. 

School  would  close  for  the  holidays  a  week 
before  Christmas,  and  then  there  would  be  more 
time  to  rehearse.  Meanwhile  Bunny.,  Sue,  and 
their  friends  had  fun  on  the  snow  and  ice  as  well 
as  in  practicing  for  the  show. 

Each  day  Mart  and  Lucile  anxiously  waited 
for  the  mail,  to  see  if  there  were  any  replies  to 
the  letters  sent  out,  seeking  news  of  their  uncles 
and  their  aunt.    But  no  word  came. 

"I  don't  believe  we'll  ever  hear,"  said  Lucile 
with  a  sigh. 

"It  doesn't  seem  so,n  agreed  her  brother.  "I 
guess  we'll  soon  have  to  begin  looking  for  an- 
other place  with  some  show  company  on  the 
road.  I  have  almost  enough  money  saved  to 
take  us  to  New  York." 

"Oh,  but  we  can't  let  you  go  yet  a  while,"  said 
Mr.  Brown.  "I'm  sure  we'll  get  some  word  of 
your  relatives  some  day.  Meanwhile,  we  are 
glad  to  have  you  stay  with  us.  I  like  to  have 
you  work  for  me,  Mart." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  work,  of  course.  But  I 
feel  that  the  theater  is  the  place  where  I  belong. 
Of  course,  it's  harder  work  than  in  your  office, 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  143 

Giving  a  Show 

but  it's  what  my  sister  and  I  have  been  brought 
up  to." 

"I'm  not  going  to  hold  you  back,"  said  Mr* 
Brown,  to  the  boy  and  girl  performers.  "But 
stay  here  until  after  the  holidays  anyhow.  By 
that  time  the  little  play  will  be  over  and  you  can 
decide  what  you  want  to  do.  Who  knows?  Per- 
haps by  then  we  may  find  not  only  your  blind 
Uncle  Bill,  but  your  Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt 
Sallie  as  well." 

But  Mart  and  Lucile  shook  their  heads.  They 
did  not  have  much  hope.  However,  they  were 
glad  to  help  the  children  get  ready  for  the  farm 
play. 

One  afternoon,  when  Bunny  and  Sue  came  in 
from  school  and  were  getting  ready  to  go  to  ther 
hall  to  practice,  they  heard  their  doorbell  ring 
loud  and  long. 

"Oh,  maybe  that's  a  telegram  for  us!"  ex- 
claimed Lucile.  She  was  always  hoping  for; 
sudden  good  news. 

"No,  it's  Charlie  Star,"  said  Bunny,  who  had 
gone  to  the  door.  "Oh,  come  down  and  see 
what  he's  got!"  he  cried,  and  Sue,  Mart,  andj 
Lucile  hastened  down  the  stairs. 


JJ4;  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Sue,  as  she  saw  her 
brother  and  Charlie  looking  at  something  which 
Charlie  held.    "Is  it  a  mud  turtle?" 

"It's  tickets!"  exclaimed  Bunny.  "Tickets  for 
our  show!  Charlie  printed  'em  on  his  printing 
press !" 

He  held  up  for  all  to  see  a  small  square  of 
pasteboard  on  which  appeared : 

GRATE  SHOW 

BY 

BUNNY  BWOWN  aND  HiS 

SisTEER  S*UE 

CoMe  1  comE  All  and 

sEE 

"DO$N  onTHE  farn!! 

ADMISHION  $25 


CHAPTER  XVI 

UPSIDE  DOWNSIDE  BUNNY 

For  a  few  seconds  Bunny,  Sue,  Mart  and 
Lucile  looked  over  the  shoulders  of  one  another 
at  the  ticket  which  Charlie  Star  had  brought  to 
show  them. 

"I  didn't  know  we  were  going  to  have  real 
tickets!"  exclaimed  Bunny.  "This  is  lots  more 
fun  than  I  thought." 

"It's  just  like  a  real  show,  with  real  tickets  an' 
everything!"  exclaimed  Sue. 

"  'Course  that  isn't  a  very  good  ticket,  yet,"  ex- 
plained Charlie.  "I  just  got  it  set  up  and  there's 
a  couple  mistakes  in  it.  I'll  have  them  fixed 
before  the  show." 

"Yes,  I  guess  it  would  be  better  to  have  the 
mistakes  fixed  before  you  print  the  tickets  for 
the  show,"  replied  Mart,  with  a  smile.  He  knew 
something  about  show  tickets,  and  he  could  see 
more  mistakes  in  the  one  Charlie  had  made 
than  could  the  young  printer  himself. 

"But  it's  very  nice,"  said  Lucile,  not  wanting 
Charlie's  feelings  to  be  hurt.    "Only  you  aren't 

145 


146  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

going  to  charge  twenty-five  dollars  to  come  to 
the  show,  are  you?"  she  asked  with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  no,  that  ought  to  be  twenty-five  cents," 
said  Charlie,  "only  I  made  a  mistake.  Or  else 
Harry  Bentley  did.  He  helped  me  set  the  type." 

"Where  did  you  get  the  printing  press?" 
asked  Mart. 

"It's  one  my  father  had  when  he  was  a  little 
boy,"  answered  Charlie.  "He  had  it  put  away 
in  the  attic,  and  he  always  said  I  could  take  it 
when  I  got  old  enough.  So  I  asked  him  for  it 
to-day. 

"He  said  I  wasn't  quite  old  enough,  but  when 
I  told  him  about  the  show  we're  going  to  have 
for  the  Blind  Home  he  said  he  guessed  I  could 
print  the  tickets.  So  I  set  up  the  type.  Harry 
helped  me,  and  when  we  get  it  fixed  right  I'll 
print  all  the  tickets  for  nothing." 

"That  will  be  very  nice,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
who  came  in  to  look  at  what  Charlie  had 
brought  over.  "You  did  very  well  for  the  first 
time,  I  think." 

I  suppose  you  children  can  see  where  Charlie 
made  the  mistakes  in  setting  up  the  type.  But 
with  the  help  of  his  father  he  corrected  them, 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  147 

Giving  a  Show 

and  when  the  tickets  were  printed  for  the  show 
they  were  all  right,  even  to  the  price  to  get  in, 
which  was  twenty-five  cents. 

But  of  course  I  haven't  really  reached  the' 
show  part  of  this  story  yet.  I  just  thought  I'd 
mention  the  tickets.  There  was  still  much  to  be 
done  before  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  other  children 
were  ready  for  the  first  act  of  the  play,  "Down 
on  the  Farm." 

Mr.  Treadwell  gave  a  great  deal  of  his  time 
to  telling  the  boys  and  girls  what  to  do,  and  in 
going  over  the  little  farm  play.  All  the  time 
he  could  spare  away  from  Mr.  Brown's  office 
the  actor  gave  to  the  show.  If  you  have  ever 
been  in  a  play  you  know  how  often  you  must  do 
the  same  thing  over.  Finally  the  time  comes 
when  you  are  as  nearly  perfect  as  possible.  It 
was  that  way  with  Bunny  and  Sue.  Sometimes 
they  were  tired  of  saying  over  and  over  again 
such  things  as:  "Here  come  a  tramp!"  or  "Let's 
call  Snap,  he'll  make  the  tramp  go  away!" 

Those  were  only  two  "lines"  in  the  play,  but 
these,  as  well  as  others,  had  to  be  said  over  and 
over  again,  until  Mr.  Treadwell  was  sure  the 
children  would  not  forget. 


148  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Mart  and  Lucile,  also,  had  to  practice  their 
parts,  but  as  the  boy  and  girl  actor  and  actress 
had  been  in  plays  before,  it  was  not  so  hard  for 
them.  And  though  the  two  little  strangers  gave 
much  of  their  time  to  getting  ready  for  the  per- 
formance they  still  had  hours  when  they  thought 
of  their  missing  relations — Uncle  Bill,  Uncle 
Simon  and  Aunt  Sallie. 

For,  though  many  letters  had  been  written  by 
Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Treadwell,  no  answers  had 
come,  and  at  times  Lucile  and  Mart  were  very 
sad. 

But  no  one  could  be  sad  very  long  when  they 
were  near  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue. 
These  two  were  always  doing  such  funny  things 
and  saying  such  funny  things  that  Mart  and 
Lucile  laughed  more  often  than  they  were  sad. 

"Do  you  think  we  can  have  Mr.  Winkler's 
monkey  and  Miss  Winkler's  parrot  in  the 
show?"  asked  Bunny  of  Mart  one  day. 

"I  guess  we  can  if  Mr.  Treadwell  will  write 

'parts   for   them,"   answered   Mart.     "But   the 

trouble  is,  you  can't  be  sure  that  Wango  and  the 

parrot  will  do  the  things  you  want  them  to.  The 

parrot  might  speak    at    the   wrong  time,  and 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  149 

Giving  a  Show 

Wango  might  cut  up  by  chasing  his  tail  or 
hanging  by  his  hind  paws  from  the  ceiling,  and 
so  make  the  audience  laugh  when  we  didn't 
want  them  to." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Bunny.  "Then  I  guess 
we'll  only  just  have  our  dog  Splash  in  the  play. 
He'll  do  whatever  you  tell  him." 

"He  certainly  chases  after  the  tramp  in  a 
funny  way,"  laughed  Lucile.  "I  should  think 
Mr.  Treadwell  would  be  afraid  the  dog  would 
tear  his  coat." 

"Oh,  Splash  only  bites  the  old  piece  of  cloth," 
said  Mart.    "It's  a  good  trick." 

A  little  while  after  this  Bunny  saw  Mart  go- 
ing out  to  the  garage  with  some  ropes  and  straps 
under  his  arm.  The  garage  was  partly  a  barn, 
for  the  Shetland  pony  was  kept  in  it  and  some 
hay  for  Toby,  the  pony,  to  eat  was  also  stored 
in  the  same  place. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  Bunny  asked  the 
boy  acrobat. 

"Practice  a  few  of  my  new  tricks  that  I'm 
going  to  do  in  the  play,"  Mart  answered. 
"There's  a  new  kind  of  back  somersault  I  want 
to  turn,  and  a  new  kind  of  flipflop  I  want  to 


ISO  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

make.  You  know  in  the  play  I  do  some  tricks  in 
front  of  the  stage  barn  to  make  the  farmers 
laugh.  I'm  supposed  to  be  a  boy  who  has  run 
away  from  a  circus." 

"We  knew  a  boy  who  really  ran  away  from  a 
circus  once,"  said  Bunny.  "And  he  was  in  our 
show  when  we  had  one  down  at  grandpa's 
farm." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  do  a  few  circus  tricks,  as 
well  as  I  can,  though  I  never  was  in  a  tent 
show,"  said  Mart. 

"Please,  may  I  come  and  watch  you?"  asked 
Bunny. 

"Yes,"  answered  Mart  kindly. 

So  the  acrobat  and  Bunny  went  out  to  the 
little  barn,  and  there,  with  ropes  and  straps, 
Mart  made  a  trapeze,  such  as  you  have  often 
seen  on  the  stage  or  in  a  circus.  On  the  floor  of 
the  barn  Mart  spread  a  pile  of  hay. 

"Is  that  for  our  pony  to  come  out  and  eat?" 
Bunny  wanted  to  know. 

"Oh,  no,"  answered  Mart.  "That's  to  make 
something  soft  for  me  to  fall  on,  in  case  I  slip. 
In  the  circus  the  performers  have  nets  under 
them  to  catch  them  in  case  they  slip.    But  you 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  151 

Giving  a  Show 

can't  have  nets  in  a  garage  very  well,  so  I  use 
the  hay." 

Bunny  watched  his  friend  swing  to  and  fro, 
j sometimes  by  his  hands  and  sometimes  by  his 
toes,  on  the  trapeze  in  the  barn.  And  Mart  was 
so  sure  and  careful  that  he  didn't  slip  once.  So 
he  didn't  fall  down  on  the  hay. 

"Did  you  ever  fall?"  asked  Bunny,  as  he 
watched  the  young  acrobat  swing  to  and  fro, 
with  his  head  down. 

"Oh,  yes  indeed !  More  than  once.  And  once 
I  broke  my  leg  so  I  couldn't  go  on  the  stage  for 
over  a  month." 

"I  don't  want  to  break  my  leg,"  said  Bunny. 

"I  hope  you  never  do,"  answered  Mart.  "But, 
of  course,  as  you  aren't  going  on  a  trapeze  you 
won't  fall  and  break  anything." 

"I  wish  I  could  go  on  a  trapeze,"  murmured 
Bunny.  "I  could  do  some  of  the  things  you  do 
I  guess." 

"I'm  afraid  not,"  laughed  Mart,  with  a  shake 
of  his  head.  "It  isn't  as  easy  as  it  looks,  and 
you  are  not  big  enough.  If  you  do  your  somer- 
saults and  part  of  a  flipflop  in  the  play,  as  you 
are  going  to  do,  you'll  make  a  hit,  Bunny." 


152  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Do  you  mean  I'll  hit  the  floor?"  asked  the 
little  boy. 

"No,"  laughed  Mart.  "Though  if  you  aren't 
careful  that  may  happen.  But  when  I  say  you'll 
make  a  'hit'  I  mean  that  the  audience  will  like 
the  tricks  you  do  and  they'll  clap." 

"Like  they  did  in  the  circus?"  asked  Bunny. 

"Just  like  that,"  said  Mart. 

Bunny  sat  and  watched  his  friend.  It  looked 
so  easy  when  Mart  swung  to  and  fro  on  the 
rope,  twisting  and  turning  this  way  and  that. 

"I    could    do    it,"    said    Bunny   to    himself. 

When  Mart  was  called  to  the  house  by  his 
sister  he  forgot  to  take  down  the  ropes  and  straps 
that  made  the  trapeze  in  the  barn.  They  hung 
right  before  Bunny  Brown's  eyes. 

"I  believe  I  can  do  it!"  said  Bunny  to  him- 
self, as  he  looked  at  the  swinging  trapeze.  "Any- 
how, if  I  do  fall,  there's  some  soft  hay." 

And  then  Bunny  did  what  he  should  not  have 
done.  He  pulled  some  boxes  and  rolled  a  bar-! 
rel  over  to  the  middle  of  the  barn  floor  until  he 
had  a  sort  of  platform  under  the  trapeze  Mart 
had  put  up  to  practice  on.  Then  Bunny  climbed 
up,  got  hold  of  the  swinging  bar  and  swung  his 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  J 53 

Giving  a  Show 

legs  over.  Then  something  queer  happened,  for 
the  first  thing  Bunny  Brown  knew,  there  he  was, 
hanging  upside  down  with  his  legs  over  the 
trapeze  and  his  head  pointing  to  the  pile  of 
hay  in  the  middle  of  the  barn  floor. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SUE'S  QUEER  SLIDE 

Bunny  Brown  was  at  first  so  frightened, 
when  he  found  himself  swinging  upside  down- 
side from  Mart's  trapeze,  that  he  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  He  was  too  frightened  even  to  call 
out,  as  he  nearly  always  did  when  he  found  him- 
self in  trouble.  Nearly  always  his  first  thought 
was  of  his  father  or  mother.  But  this  time  he 
hardly  knew  what  to  do. 

It  had  all  happened  so  suddenly.  He  had  not 
meant  to  get  upside  downside  this  way.  All  he 
wanted  to  do  was  to  sit  on  the  trapeze,  as  he 
had  often  sat  in  a  swing,  and  sway  to  and  fro. 
But  something  had  gone  wrong,  something  had 
slipped,  and  there  Bunny  was,  hanging  by  his 
knees  with  his  head  toward  the  floor. 

Then  Bunny  had  a  thought  that  he  might  let 
go  with  his  clinging  legs  and  drop  to  the  pile 
of  hay.  That  was  what  the  hay  was  for — to 
fall  on.  It  was  a  thick,  soft  pile,  but,  somehow 
or  other,  Bunny  did  not  like  to  think  of  falling 
on  it  head  first. 

154 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  155 

Giving  a  Show 

"If  I  could  only  land  on  it  with  my  hands  or 
feet  it  wouldn't  be  so  bad,"  though  the  little 
fellow  to  himself.  "But  if  I  hit  on  my 
head " 

And  when  he  thought  of  that  he  clung  with 
all  his  force  to  the  wooden  bar.  He  was  still 
swinging  to  and  fro,  and  on  this  first  swing 
Bunny  had  knocked  to  one  side  the  pile  of  boxes 
and  the  barrel  with  which  he  had  made  himself 
a  sort  of  ladder  so  he  could  reach  Mart's  tra- 
peze, which  was  several  feet  above  the  barn 
floor.  So,  now  that  the  boxes  by  which  he  had 
climbed  up  were  out  of  reach,  Bunny  could  not 
get  down  by  using  them. 

And  he  wanted,  very  much,  to  get  down.  He 
tried  to  wiggle  around  in  such  a  way  that  he 
could  reach  the  wooden  bar  with  his  hands,  but 
he  could  not,  and  the  more  he  wiggled  the  more 
it  felt  as  though  he  might  fall. 

Then  Bunny  decided  that  he  must  call  for 
help.  He  had  hoped  that  Mart  might  come 
back,  but  the  acrobatic  boy  was  in  the  house 
helping  his  sister  learn  a  new  song  Lucile  was 
going  to  sing  in  the  play.  So  Mart  knew  nothing 
of  what  was  happening  to  Bunny. 


156  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Mother!  Daddy!   Come  and  get  me!"  cried 
Bunny  as  he  swung  to  and  fro  on  the  trapeze, 
head  downward.    "Come  and  get  me!    Mother !| 
Daddy!" 

Bunny  might  have  called  like  this  for  some 
time,  and  neither  his  father  nor  his  mother 
would  have  heard  him.  For  Mr.  Brown  was 
down  at  his  office  on  the  dock,  and  Mrs.  Brown 
was  making  a  cake,  beating  up  eggs  with  the 
egg  beater. 

An, egg  beater,  you  know,  makes  a  lot  of  noise, 
and  even  if  Bunny  had  been  in  the  kitchen  Mrs. 
Brown  might  not  have  heard  him  call  out.  And 
away  out  in  the  barn  as  he  was,  of  course  she 
couldn't  hear  him.  I  don't  believe  she  could 
have  heard  him  even  if  she  hadn't  been  using  the 
egg  beater. 

So  poor  little  Bunny  Brown  swung  by  his  legs 
on  the  trapeze  in  the  upper  part  of  the  garage 
and  he  did  not  know  how  to  get  down  nor  how 
to  stop  himself. 

"Daddy!  Mother!"  he  called  again,  but  no 
one  heard  him. 

On  a  summer  day,  when  the  windows  were 
open,   Bunny's  voice  might  have   been   heard 


.bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue      *    157 
Giving  a  Show 

from  the  barn  to  the  house,  but  now  no  one 
heard  him. 

But,  as  it  also  happened,  Sue  was  the  means 
by  which  Bunny's  trouble,  was  discovered, 
though  Sue,  too3  had  an  accident.  Soon  after 
Mart  came  to  the  house  to  help  his  sister,  Sue 
heard  the  doorbell  ring,  and  when  she  went  to 
see  who  was  there  she  saw  Helen  Newton,  one 
of  her  little  playmates  who  was  to  act  in  the 
show  with  Sue. 

"Oh,  Sue!"  exclaimed  Helen,  "have  you  got  a 
doll  you  could  lend  me?  I  have  to  have  one  in 
the  play,  and  the  only  one  I  had  isn't  any  good 
any  more." 

"Is  your  doll  sick?"  Sue  wanted  to  know. 
"She's  worse  than  sick,"  said  Helen.  "Our 
puppy  dog  got  hold  of  her  the  other  day,  and  he 
dragged  my  doll  all  around  the  kitchen  and  all 
her  clothes  were  torn  off  and  she's  chewed  and 
she  isn't  fit  to  be  seen.  I  can't  have  her  in  the 
play  with  me,  though  I  did  at  first,  before  the 
puppy  chewed  her." 

"I  guess  Sue  can  let  you  take  one  of  her  dolls," 
said  Mrs.  Brown,  with  a  smile,  as  she  came  in 
from  the  kitchen  where  she  had  been  doing  her 


158  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

baking.  "What  one  do  you  think  would  be  best 
for  Helen,  Sue?" 

"Oh,  I  guess  my  unbreakable  doll,  Jane 
Anna,  would  be  best  for  in  the  play,"  Sue  an- 
swered. "If  you  drop  her,  Helen,  it  won't  hurt." 

"No,  and  it  won't  hurt  much  if  our  puppy 
dog  gets  hold  of  her,"  added  Helen.  "  Course 
our  dog  won't  come  to  the  play  and  chew  up  any 
dolls,  but  he  might  get  hold  of  one  again  when 
I'm  practicing  at  home.  I  think  the  Jane  Anna 
will  be  best." 

"I'll  get  her  for  you,"  offered  Sue.  But  when 
she  went  to  look  for  the  doll  for  Helen,  Jane 
Anna  could  not  be  found. 

"I  wonder  where  it  is!"  exclaimed  Sue. 

"Maybe  your  dog  Splash  chewed  her  up," 
said  Helen. 

"No,  he  doesn't  chew  dolls,"  replied  Sue.  "He 
chews  up  my  school  books,  and  Bunny's,  but  he 
doesn't  chew  dolls." 

"I  wish  my  dog  would  chew  books,"  went  on 
Helen.  "Then  I  wouldn't  have  to  study.  Maybe 
he  will  chew  them  after  he  finds  there  isn't  any 
of  my  old  doll  left  to  bite." 

Sue  looked  in  different  places  in  the  house  for 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  159 

Giving  a  Show 

her  unbreakable  doll,  but  could  not  find  it  She 
asked  Lucile  and  Mart  about  it,  when  the 
brother  and  sister  took  a  rest  from  the  song 
which  Lucile  was  to  sing,  though  her  brother 
had  a  part  in  it. 

"Lost  your  doll,  have  you,  Sue?"  asked  Mart. 
"Well,  maybe  she  is  hiding  under  the  umbrella 
plant!" 

"Oh,  you're  teasing  me!"  said  Sue,  and  that's 
just  what  Mart  was  doing.  For  though  Mrs. 
Brown  did  have  an  umbrella  plant,  and  a  rubber 
plant  also,  Sue's  doll  was  not  under  either  one. 

"The  last  time  I  saw  you  have  your  unbreak- 
able doll  was  out  in  the  hayloft  of  the  barn," 
said  Lucile.  "Don't  you  remember?  You  were 
playing  house  with  Sadie  West" 

"O,  now  I  remember!"  cried  Sue.  "I  left 
Jane  Anna  asleep  in  the  hay  in  the  corner  of  the 
loft  I'll  go  out  and  get  her  for  you,  Helen. 
You  wait  here." 

So  Helen  sat  down  in  a  chair  in  the  dining 
room  while  Sue  ran  out  to  the  barn  to  look  for 
her  doll.  Mart  and  Lucile  began  practicing  the 
song  again. 

Now  all  this  while  Bunny  Brown  was  swing- 


160  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

ing  by  his  legs,  upside  downside  on  the  trapeze. 
It  seems  to  him  a  long  while  since  he  had  started 
to  hang  head  downward,  but,  really,  it  was  not 
very  long.  For  though  it  takes  me  quite  a  little 
while  to  tell  you  about  it,  really  it  all  happened 
in  a  short  while. 

So  Bunny  Brown  had  not  been  swinging  very 
long,  head  downward,  before  Sue  ran  out  to  the 
barn,  or  garage,  whichever  you  like  to  call  it,  to 
look  for  her  doll.  Up  the  stairs  into  the  loft, 
where  Mart  had  fastened  the  trapeze,  went  Sue. 
She  had  just  reached  the  top  step  and  was  won- 
dering if  her  doll  were  really  there  when,  all 
at  once,  Sue  heard  some  one  cry: 

"Help  me  down!    Help  me  down!" 

"Oh,  my!"  was  the  little  girl's  first  thought, 
"can  that  by  my  doll?" 

Then  she  knew  it  couldn't  be.  For,  though 
some  dolls  have  inside  them  a  little  phonograph 
that  can  say  words,  Sue's  Jane  Anna  had  nothing 
\like  this. 

"But  somebody  yelled!"  said  Sue  to  herself. 

Just  then  the  voice  shouted  again. 

"Help  me  down!    Help  me  down!" 

"Oh,  it's  Bunny!"  exclaimed  Sue,  as  she  heard 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  161 

Giving  a  Show 

her  brother's  voice.  "Where  are  you,  and  what's 
the  matter,  Bunny?"  she  asked. 

A  moment  later  she  looked  toward  the  middle 
of  the  hayloft  and  saw  the  little  boy  swinging 
by  his  legs  from  the  trapeze. 

"Oh,  Bunny  Brown,  are  you  doing  circus 
tricks  up  here?"  asked  Sue.  "Mamma  wouldn't 
let  you!    Oh,  Bunny  Brown!" 

"Help  me  down,  Sue!  Help  me  down!" 
shouted  Bunny.  "I  daren't  drop  on  the  hay,  and 
I  want  to  get  down!" 

Sue  took  a  step  forward.  She  did  not  know 
just  what  she  was  going  to  do,  but  she  wanted 
to  help  Bunny.  And  just  then  Sue's  feet  seemed 
to  drop  out  from  under  her,  and  down  she  went 
in  a  funny  slide. 

Down  and*  down  and  down,  with  a  lot  of  hay 
all  around  her,  and  out  of  sight  of  Bunny  Brown, 
who  was  still  on  the  trapeze,  went  sister  Sue. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MR.  TREADWELL'S  WIG 

BUNNY  Brown,  swinging  by  his  knees  from 
the  trapeze,  had  just  one  little  look  at  his  sister 
Sue,  and  then  he  didn't  see  her  again.  At  first 
Bunny  though  perhaps  he  had  fallen  asleep  and 
had  dreamed  that  he  had  seen  Sue.  So  many 
things  had  happened  since  he  climbed  up  on  the 
funny  swing  that  it  would  not  have  surprised 
Bunny  to  have  learned  that  he  had  fallen  asleep 
and  dreamed. 

But  a  moment  later  he  heard  Sue's  voice,  and 
then  Bunny  felt  sure  it  was  not  a  dream.  For  as 
Sue  slipped  and  fell  down  a  deep  hole,  together 
with  a  lot  of  hay,  she  called: 

"Oh,  oh!  Oh,  Bunny!  Oh,  Mother!  Oh, 
Daddy!" 

She  wanted  all  three  of  them  to  help  her  and 
she  didn't  know  which  one  she  wanted  most. 

"Oh,  Sue!  Sue!"  cried  Bunny,  as  soon  as  he 
felt  sure  it  was  his  sister  he  had  seen  and  not  a 
dream.     "Sue!    Come  and  help  me!" 

"Somebody's  got  to  help  me!"  half  sobbed 

162 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  163 

Giving  a  Show 

Sue,  and  her  voice  seemed  very  faint  and  far 
away. 

And  no  wonder!  For  Sue  had  slipped  down 
the  little  hole  over  the  manger,  or  feed-box,  in 
the  stall  of  Toby,  the  Shetland  pony.  In  this 
barn,  as  perhaps  you  have  seen  in  barns  at  your 
grandpa's  farm  in  the  country,  there  is  a  little 
hole  cut  in  the  floor  of  the  loft,  or  upstairs  part, 
so  hay  can  be  pushed  down  from  the  mow  into 
the  stall  of  a  horse  or  a  pony.  There  was  a  little 
hay  covering  this  hole,  so  Sue  did  not  see  it 
when  she  went  up  to  look  for  her  doll.  And  it 
was  down  this  hole  that  Sue  had  fallen. 

Right  down  she  went,  into  the  manger  of  the 
pony's  stall,  but  as  the  manger  was  filled  with 
hay  Sue  did't  get  hurt  a  bit.  But  the  pony  was 
very  much  surprised.  It  was  just  as  if,  when 
you  were  eating  your  break  and  milk  at  the 
table  some  day,  the  ceiling  over  your  head 
should  suddenly  have  a  hole  come  in  it,  and 
down  through  the  hole,  from  upstairs,  should 
slide  a  little  horse. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  cried  Sue,  in  surprise.  Of  course 
the  Shetland  pony  didn't  say  anything,  but  he 
was  surprised  just  the  same. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  165 

Giving  a  Show 

both  failed  down  but  we  both  didn't  get  hurt." 

Bunny  stood  looking  up  at  the  trapeze.  He 
was  thinking  of  getting  on  it  again,  but  as  he 
remembered  how  frightened  he  was  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  had  better  let  Mart  do  those 
risky  tricks. 

"Oh,  I  almost  forgot  1"  exclaimed  Sue,  as  she 
and  Bunny  were  going  out  of  the  barn  toward 
the  house.  "I  forgot  my  Jane  Anna  for  Helen.  I 
was  coming  out  to  get  her  when  I  heard  you 
holler." 

"I  yelled  a  lot  of  times  before  anybody  heard 
me,"  said  Bunny,  and  he  told  Sue  how  he  had 
climbed  up  on  the  pile  of  boxes,  and  how  they 
had  fallen  so  he  could  not  get  down  off  the 
trapeze. 

"Well,  you're  down  now,"  said  Sue. 

Mrs.  Brown  guessed  that  something  was  the 
matter  when  she  saw  Bunny  and  Sue  coming 
back  from  the  barn,  looking  rather  excited,  and 
she  soon  had  the  whole  story.  Then  she  told 
Bunny  he  must  not  get  on  Mart's  trapeze  again, 
as  he  was  too  little  for  that  sort  of  play. 

"Even  if  there's  a  lot  of  hay  under  it  can't  I 
get  on?"  asked  Bunny. 


166  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"No,  not  even  if  there's  a  lot  of  hay  under 
it,"  answered  Mrs.  Brown. 

So  that  ended  Bunny's  hopes  of  becoming  a 
trapeze  performer  in  the  show.  But  Mart  still ' 
kept  on  practicing,  and  soon  he  could  do  a  num- 
ber of  good  tricks.  Lucile,  too,  practiced  her 
songs,  and  those  who  heard  the  children  at  their 
rehearsals  said  the  show,  which  had  first  been 
thought  of  by  Bunny  and  Sue,  would  be  a  good 
one. 

Charlie  Star  fixed  the  mistakes  in  the  tickets 
he  was  printing  for  the  farm  play  and  soon  they 
were  ready  to  be  sold.  All  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  the  children  who  were  to  be  in  the 
play  bought  tickets,  and  so  did  other  persons  in 
Bellemere.  The  tickets  were  put  on  sale  in  the 
hardware  store,  in  the  drug  store,  in  the  grocery 
of  Mr.  Sam  Gordon,  and  in  other  places  about 
town. 

Mr.  Tread  well  also  made  some  big  posters, 
telling  about  the  show.  These  posters  were  hung 
in  the  window  of  the  barber  shop,  and  one  was 
tacked  up  in  the  railroad  station  and  another  on 
Mr.  Brown's  dock  office. 

Everything  was  being  made  ready  for  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  167 

Giving  a  Show 

show  which  would  be  given  Christmas  after- 
noon. The  children  could  hardly  wait  for  the 
time  to  come,  but,  of  course,  they  had  to.  Mean- 
while, they  had  as  much  fun  as  they  could  when 
they  were  not  at  school  or  practicing  their  parts 
in  the  new  hall  built  over  the  hardware  store. 

"How  happy  we  could  be  living  here  and  go- 
ing to  take  part  in  a  nice  play  if  we  only  knew 
where  our  people  were,"  said  Lucile  to  her 
brother  Mart  one  day. 

"Yes,  that's  all  we  need  to  make  us  quite 
happy,"  said  he.  "But  I  guess  we'll  never  see 
our  uncles  or  Aunt  Sallie  again.  Why,  we 
haven't  even  heard  from  Mr.  Jackson  since  our 
vaudeville  show  busted  up. 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  write  just  one  more  let- 
ter," went  on  Mart,  and  he  got  out  pen,  ink,  and 
paper.  "I'm  going  to  write  to  that  man  in  New 
York  who  used  to  act  in  the  same  play  with 
Uncle  Simon.  Mr.  Treadwell  found  that  man's 
address  the  other  day,  and  I'm  going  to  write  to 
him.  He  may  know  where  Uncle  Simon  and 
Aunt  Sallie  are." 

"Does  he  know  where  Uncle  Bill  is?"  asked 
Lucile. 


168  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  don't  know.    I'll  ask  him,"  decided  Mart. 

When  the  letter  had  been  written  Bunny  and 
Sue  came  in  from  school.  It  was  snowing  again, 
and  the  ground  was  white  with  the  beautiful 
flakes.  The  coats  of  Bunny  and  Sue  were  also 
covered,  for  they  had  been  throwing  snowballs 
at  one  another.  Their  cheeks  were  red  and  their 
eyes  sparkling. 

"Want  to  walk  down  the  street  with  me  while 
I  mail  this  letter?"  asked  Mart  of  the  two  chil- 
dren. 

"Oh,  yes!"  cried  Sue. 

"Can't  we  go  in  the  pony  sled?"  Bunny  asked. 
"There's  enough  snow  to  make  it  slip  easy  now." 

"Yes,  I  guess  we  could  go  in  the  pony  sled," 
agreed  Mart.  "And  we  can  stop  at  Mr.  Wink- 
ler's and  ask  Mr.  Treadweil,  if  he's  at  home,  if 
he  wants  us  to  come  to  rehearsal  to-night." 

Soon  Bunny,  Sue,  Mart,  and  Lucile  were  rid- 
ing down  the  street  in  the  pony  sled,  having  a 
fine  time  in  the  snow  storm.  It  was  quite  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow,  but  the  weather  was  not  very 
cold. 

After  mailing  the  letter  the  four  children 
drove  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Winkler. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  169, 

Giying  a  Show 

"I  hope  the  monkey  does  something  queer," 
said  Bunny. 

"I  wish  the  parrot  would  sing  a  funny  song!" 
exclaimed  Sue. 

"Something  seems  to  be  the  matter,  anyhow," 
said  Lucile,  as  they  got  out  of  the  little  sled  and 
walked  toward  the  front  door  of  Mr.  Winkler's 
house,  where  the  actor  boarded.  "Look  at  Miss 
Winkler  running  around,"  and  she  pointed  to 
the  sister  of  the  old  sailor.  Miss  Winkler  could 
be  seen  hurrying  about  the  room  from  one  win- 
dow to  another. 

"Do  you  want  us  all  to  come  to  practice  to- 
night, Mr.  Treadwell?"  asked  Mart,  as  he  and 
the  children  entered  the  house  and  saw  the  actor 
hurrying  around  after  Miss  Winkler. 

"Come  to  practice?  Oh,  I  don't  know!"  was 
the  answer.  "I  can't  talk  to  you  right  away, 
Mart.    Something  has  happened!" 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Lucile.  "Have  you  hearcj 
(anything  about ?" 

"Oh,  it  isn't  about  your  kin,  I'm  sorry  to  say," 
was  the  actor's  answer.  "It's  just  that  one  of  my 
best  wigs  is  missing — the  one  I  wear  when  I 
dress  up  like  General  Washington.  Those  wigs 


170  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

are  scarce,  and  I  hardly  ever  let  it  out  of  my  box. 
But  now  it  is  gone!" 

"And  I've  searched  high  and  low  for  it  all 
over  this  house,  but  I  can't  find  it!"  said  Miss 
Winkler. 

Bunny  and  Sue  did  not  know  quite  what  to 
make  of  all  the  excitement  over  the  lost  wig 
which  Mr.  Treadwell  wore  on  his  head  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  play.  So  they  stood  to  one 
side  while  the  search  went  on.  Sue  looked 
in  the  sitting  room,  while  Mr.  Treadwell  and 
Miss  Winkler  went  into  the  parlor  that  was 
hardly  ever  opened. 

Something  that  Bunny  saw  in  a  chair  in  front 
of  the  kitchen  stove  made  him  call  out: 

"Oh,  Miss  Winkler!  there's  a  funny  old  man 
in  your  kitchen,  and  he's  trying  to  open  the 
cupboard  door  where  you  keep  the  cookies, 
Come  and  see  the  funny  old  man !" 


CHAPTER  XIX 

UNCLE  BILL 

"WHAT'S  that,  Bunny  Brown?"  called  Miss 
Winkler,  stepping  to  the  door  of  the  parlor,  in 
which  Mr.  Treadwell  was  looking  for  his  miss- 
ing wig.  "What's  that  you  said  about  an  old 
man?" 

"There's  one  in  your  kitchen  now,"  added 
Sue,  for  she  was  now  looking  at  the  funny  "old 
man"  in  the  kitchen. 

"One  what  in  my  kitchen?"  asked  Miss 
Winkler,  in  surprise. 

"A  funny  old  man,"  said  Bunny  again.  "And 
he's  after  some  of  your  nice  sugar  cookies." 
Bunny  knew  Miss  Winkler's  sugar  cookies  were 
nice  because  she  sometimes  gave  him  and  Sue 
some.    Not  too  often,  but  once  in  a  while. 

"An  old  man  after  my  cookies,  is  there?" 
cried  the  sailor's  sister.  "Well,  I'll  see  about 
that!" 

Down  the  hall  she  hurried,  leaving  Mr. 
Treadwell  to  look  for  the  wig  himself,  and  this 
he  was  doing. 

171 


172  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  suppose  it's  some  tramp!"  exclaimed  Miss 
Winkler.  "Wait  until  I  take  the  broom  stick 
to  him!  The  idea  of  taking  my  cookies!  I'd 
rather  give  'em  to  you  children  than  to  an  old 
tramp.  I  wish  your  dog  was  here,  Bunny 
Brown!" 

"Oh,  so  do  I!"  cried  Bunny.  "Splash  would 
hang  on  to  the  tramp  the  way  he  hangs  to  Mr. 
Treadwell's  coat  in  the  play.  Oh,  Sue,  let's  go 
home  and  get  our  Splash,  and  sic  him  on  the 
tramp !" 

By  this  time  Miss  Winkler  had  reached  the 
kitchen  door.  Bunny  and  Sue,  with  Lucile  and 
Mart,  stood  to  one  side,  so  the  sailor's  sister 
could  go  in  and  stop  the  funny  old  man  from 
taking  her  cookies. 

Into  the  kitchen  hurried  Miss  Winkler. 
There,  surely  enough,  with  his  gray  head  just 
showing  over  the  back  of  a  hall  chair  on  which 
he  was  standing,  was  what  seemed  to  be  an  old 
man.  He  had  on  a  black  coat,  and  one  hand  ap- 
peared to  be  reaching  up  into  the  cookie  closet. 

"Hi  there!  Get  down  out  of  that!"  cried  Miss 
Winkler.  "The  idea  of  you  daring  to  take  my 
cookies !    Get  out  of  here !   You  tramp !" 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  173 

Giving  a  Show 

And  the  green  parrot,  in  his  cage  hanging  in 
the  kitchen,  cried  in  his  shrill  voice: 

"No  tramps  allowed!  Out  you  go!  Sic  him, 
Towser!   Bow  wow!" 

Bunny,  Sue,  Mart,  and  Lucile  hurried  into 
the  kitchen  after  Miss  Winkler.  They  saw  her 
quickly  take  a  broom  from  a  corner. 

And  then,  as  the  sailor's  sister  ran  around  in 
front  of  the  chair,  on  which  the  old  man  tramp 
seemed  to  be  standing,  she  gave  a  scream. 

"Wango!  You  good-for-nothing  monkey 
you!"  cried  Miss  Winkler.  "The  idea  of  pre- 
tending you  were  a  tramp!  I've  a  good  notion 
to  take  this  broom  to  you,  anyhow!" 

There  was  a  chatter  from  the  chair  and  the 
gray  head  dropped  down  out  of  sight. 

"Oh,  was  it  Wango?"  cried  Bunny  Brown. 

"Indeed  it  was!"  said  Miss  Winkler.  "The 
idea  of  his  fooling  us  all  like  that!" 

"But  he  looked  just  like  an  old  man  with  gray 
hair,"  said  Sue. 

"Indeed  he  did,"  chimed  in  Mart  and  Lucile 
Clayton. 

Just  then  Mr.  Treadwell  came  through  the 
hall  into  the  kitchen. 


il74  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"It's  no  use,  Miss  Winkler,"  he  said.  "I 
can't  find  my  big  wig  anywhere.  If  I  use  one 
like  it  in  the  play  I'll  have  to  send  to  New  York 
for  another.    My  wig  is  lost." 

"No,  it  isn't,  either!"  exclaimed  Miss  Wink- 
ler.   "There  it  is — on  Wango!" 

She  pointed  to  the  monkey,  which,  just  then, 
ran  around  from  behind  the  chair  on  which  he 
had  been  standing.  And,  surely  enough  Wango 
had  on  the  big,  white  wig  for  which  Mr.  Tread- 
well  and  Miss  Winkler  had  been  searching  so 
long.  The  wig  made  Wango  look  like  an  old 
man. 

"And  he  has  on  one  of  my  jackets,  too!"  ex- 
claimed the  actor.  "It's  one  I  use  in  some  of 
my  stage  plays,  children,  where  I  have  to  have 
a  very  short,  little  jacket.  No  wonder  you 
thought  a  tramp  was  in  Miss  Winkler's  kitchen! 
Wango,  are  you  trying  to  be  an  impersonator, 
such  as  I  used  to  be?"  asked  Mr.  Treadwell, 
i  laughing  and  shaking  his  finger  at  Mr.  Jed 
Winkler's  monkey. 

Wango  made  a  funny  little  chattering  noise, 
and  took  off  the  wig,  which  he  held  out  to  the 
actor. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  175 

Giving  a  Show 

"See,  he's  saying  he's  sorry!"  exclaimed 
Lucile. 

Next  Wango  took  off  the  jacket.  It  was  one 
of  the  costumes  Mr.  Treadwell  used  on  the 
stage. 

"I  guess  he  won't  dress  up  again,"  said  Mart. 
"I  didn't  know  he  was  such  a  performer." 

"Oh,  Wango  is  a  regular  pest  for  playing 
tricks!"  said  Miss  Winkler.  "I  tell  Jed,  every 
day,  that  I  won't  have  the  monkey  around  any 
longer,  but  I  always  give  in  and  let  him  stay. 
Now  if  he  was  as  nice  and  quiet  as  the  parrot  it 
would  be  all  right." 

And  just  then  the  parrot  began  to  screech  and 
to  cry : 

"No  tramps  allowed!    Sic  'em,  Towser!" 

Really  the  parrot  made  more  noise  than 
Wango,  but  Miss  Winkler  did  not  seem  to 
think  so. 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  get  back  my  wig,  any- 
how," said  Mr.  Treadwell,  as  he  took  that  and 
the  jacket  from  Wango.  "This  little  monkey 
must  have  gone  in  my  room,  found  that  I  left  my 
trunk  open,  and  then  he  took  out  what  he 
wanted." 


176  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"Do  you  really  think  he  knew  he  was  dress- 
ing up  like  a  tramp?"  asked  Lucile. 

"You  never  know  what  Wango  thinks  he's 
doing,"  said  Miss  Winkler.  "But  I'm  glad  I 
caught  him  in  time.  There  wouldn't  have  been 
a  cookie  left  if  he  had  got  his  paws  in  the  jar." 

"Are  there  any  cookies  left  now,  Miss  Wink- 
ler?" asked  Bunny,  with  a  funny  little  side  look 
at  his  sister. 

"Oh,  yes,  there's  a  whole  jar  full,"  answered 
the  sailor's  sister. 

"Are  you — aren't  you  going  to  give  Wango 
any?"  asked  Bunny. 

"Give  Wango  any?  Give  my  good  sugar 
cookies  to  that  monkey?  Well,  I  guess  not!" 
cried  Miss  Winkler.  Then,  as  she  looked  at 
Bunny  and  Sue,  a  more  gentle  look  came  over 
her  face. 

"But  I  guess  I'll  give  you  children  some,"  she 
said.  "If  it  hadn't  been  that  you  saw  Wango  he 
might  have  cleaned  out  my  cupboard.  Yes,  I'll 
give  you  children  some  cookies." 

So  she  brought  the  jar  from  the  cupboard,  and 
not  only  gave  some  of  her  cookies — which  were 
really  very  good — to  Bunny  and  Sue,  but  also 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  177 

Giving  a  Show 

to  Mart  and  Lucile.    And  even  Mr.  Treadwell 
had  some. 

As  for  Wango — well,  I'll  tell  you  a  little  se- 
cret. He  had  some  of  the  cookies,  too.  For  when 
Miss  Winkler  wasn't  looking,  Bunny  and  Sue 
fed  the  jolly  little  monkey  some  bits  of  their 
cake.    Wango  was  very  fond  of  sweet  things. 

And  so  the  lost  wig  was  found,  and  Miss 
Winkler  didn't  have  to  drive  the  gray-haired 
tramp  out  of  her  kitchen  with  a  broom,  for 
which  I  suppose  she  was  very  glad. 

Mr.  Treadwell  had  time,  now,  to  talk  to  Mart 
and  the  other  children  about  the  farm  play,  and 
he  told  them  there  would  have  to  be  a  number 
of  rehearsals,  or  practices,  yet,  before  they  would 
be  ready  to  give  a  performance  Christmas  after- 
noon. 

The  children  were  drilled  over  and  over  again 
in  their  parts,  until  at  last,  a  few  days  before 
Christmas,  the  actor  said: 

"Well,  now  I  am  satisfied.  I  think  we  are 
ready  for  the  show!" 

And,  oh,  how  glad  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others 
were!  All  their  hard  work  would  amount  to 
something  now. 


178  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

One  night,  about  three  days  before  Christ- 
mas, Mr.  Brown  came  home  from  the  dock  of- 
fice one  evening  with  Mr.  Treadwell  and  Mart, 
who  had  finished  their  work. 

"I  had  a  letter  from  the  Home  for  the  Blind 
to-day,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  as  they  sat  at  the  sup- 
per table,  for  Mr.  Treadwell  had  been  invited 
to  share  the  meal.  "The  superintendent  would 
like  to  have  me  call,  so  he  can  tell  me  something 
about  the  work  of  the  home  and  the  poor  people 
who  have  to  stay  there  in  the  darkness.  He 
thinks  if  I  tell  the  audience  that  comes  to  see 
the  children's  play  something  about  the  Home 
for  the  Blind  more  people  will  be  glad  to  help." 

"I  think  they  would,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 
"Why  don't  you  go  over?" 

"I  will,"  answered  Mr.  Brown.  "There  isn't 
much  to  do  to-morrow,  so  I'll  go  and  take  Bunny 
and  Sue  with  me.  Would  you  like  to  go?"  he 
asked  Mart  and  Lucile. 

They  said  they  would,  and  the  next  day  the 
five  of  them  went  over  in  Mr.  Brown's  auto- 
mobile. Mr.  Treadwell  was  invited,  but  he  said 
he  had  to  go  to  the  hall  to  make  sure  all  the 
scenery  for  the  play  was  ready. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  179, 

Giving  a  Show 

The  Home  for  the  Blind  was  in  a  big  reft 
brick  building  on  the  side  of  a  hill  about  two 
miles  across  the  valley  from  Bellemere.  It  did 
not  take  long  to  get  there  in  the  automobile,  for 
though  there  was  snow  on  the  ground  the  roads 
were  good. 

Mr.  Harrison,  the  superintendent  of  the 
home,  welcomed  Mr.  Brown  and  the  children. 

"Now  please  don't  think  this  is  a  sad  place," 
said  Mr.  Harrison.  "Though  the  men  and 
women  and  the  boys  and  girls  here  can  not  see, 
they  get  along  very  well,  considering.  So  don't 
think  it's  too  sad. 

"Of  course  it  is  sad  enough,  but  it  might  be 
worse.  That's  what  all  our  blind  folk  have  come 
to  think — that  it  might  be  worse.  They  have 
ways  of  'seeing,'  even  if  they  have  eyes  that  are 
no  longer  any  use  to  them.-  I  just  want  you  to 
go  over  our  place,  and  then  you  will  be  more 
glad  than  ever,  I  hope,  that  you  are  going  to 
help  us  with  your  little  play.  For  we  need 
many  things.  We  need  books,  printed  in  the 
kind  of  type  that  the  blind  can  read,  and  we 
need  many  things  so  that  our  blind  men  and 
women  can  work  and  make  articles  to  sell.    The 


180  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

money  you  are  going  to  give  us  from  your  play 
will  help  to  buy  these  things." 

Then,  indeed,  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister 
I  Sue  were  very  glad  they  had  decided  to  have  a 
play,  and  they  saw  men  and  women  and  boys  and 
girls  who  did  not  seem  to  be  without  their  sight, 
for  they  went  about  almost  as  quickly  as  Bunny 
and  Sue  did. 

"That's  because  they  have  learned  their  way," 
said  Mr.  Harrison.  "Our  blind  folks  know 
their  way  around  here  just  as  you  can  walk 
around  some  parts  of  your  house  in  the  dark." 

He  led  them  toward  the  music  room,  for  there 
was  one  where  the  blind  inmates  played  and 
sang,  and  as  Mr.  Brown  and  the  children  went 
through  the  door  Lucile  uttered  a  low  cry  at  the 
sight  of  a  man  who  was  just  getting  up  from 
the  piano. 

"Uncle  Bill!"  cried  Lucile.  "Uncle  Bill  I 
Oh,  we  have  found  you  at  last!" 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  DRESS  REHEARSAL 

BUNNY  Brown,  who  had  been  listening  to 
the  piano  music  of  the  blind  man,  looked 
quickly  at  Lucile  as  she  cried  out  about  Uncle 
Bill.  For  Bunny  remembered  how  much  the 
actress  girl  and  her  brother  had  wanted  to  find 
their  blind  uncle,  so  he  might  tell  them  where 
their  other  uncle  and  aunt  were. 

Sue  just  said:  "O-oh!" 

"Uncle  Bill!"  cried  Mart,  in  the  same  sort  of 
wondering  voice  as  had  his  sister.  "Yes,  that's 
our  Uncle  Bill!"  he  went  on,  as  the  blind  man, 
who  had  been  playing,  came  over  toward  them. 
There  was  a  strange  look  on  his  face,  and  except 
for  a  queer  look  about  his  eyes,  one  would 
hardly  have  known  he  was  blind. 

"Who  is  calling  me?"  he  asked.  "I  seem  to 
know  those  voices,  though  I  have  not  heard 
them  for  a  long  time.    Who  is  it?" 

Lucile  and  Mart  stepped  forward.  Mr. 
Brown  was  right  behind  them,  and  Bunny  and 
Sue  were  near  their  father.    Mr.  Harrison,  who 

181 


182  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

was  in  charge  of  the  Home,  looked  on  in  sur- 
prise. 

"Do  you  know  Mr.  Clayton?"  he  asked  Lucile 
and  Mart. 

"Yes,  he  is  our  uncle,"  Mart  answered  in  a 
low  voice,  but,  low  as  it  was,  the  blind  piano 
player  heard.  Holding  out  his  hands  toward 
the  young  theatrical  players  he  cried 

"Now  I  know  those  voices.  Lucile!  Mart!  I 
have  found  you  at  last!" 

"And  we  have  found  you!"  cried  Lucile.  "Oh, 
how  wonderful!" 

"Can  you  tell  us  where  Uncle  Simon  and 
Aunt  Sallie  are?"  asked  Mart.  "We've  lost 
track  of  them,  and  we  were  stranded  after  the 
show  failed.  We  didn't  know  where  to  find 
you,  and " 

"Say,  your  trouble  all  came  together,  didn't 
it?"  cried  the  blind  man.  "But  now,  perhaps,  it 
is  all  over.  Let  me  sit  down  with  you,  and  then 
we'll  have  a  long  talk." 

"But  do  you  know  where  Aunt  Sallie 
Weatherby  is?"  asked  Lucile. 

"Yes,  of  course!  I  have  her  address,"  said 
the  blind  Mr.  Clayton. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  183 

Giving  a  Show 

By  this  time  he  had  managed  to  walk  up  to 
Mart,  clasping  his  hands.  Then  he  found  Lucile 
and  kissed  her.  For,  though  he  was  blind,  Mr. 
Clayton  could  tell  by  the  sound  of  a  person's 
voice  just  where  they  stood  in  a  room,  and  walk 
over  to  them. 

"Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  find  you  again!"  he 
said,  as  he  felt  around  for  a  chair  and  sat  down. 
"I  have  been  waiting  for  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Jackson  so  I  might  find  you,  but  he  has  been  a 
long  time  writing,  and  since  my  last  letter  to 
him  I  came  to  this  place." 

"We  don't  know  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack- 
son are,"  said  Lucile.  "They  left  us,  after  the 
company  broke  up,  and  we  haven't  heard  from 
them  since.  But  we  didn't  know  you  were 
here!" 

"You  weren't  the  last  time  we  inquired," 
added  Mart.  "We  knew  you  were  in  some  such 
place  as  this,  but  Mr.  Brown  asked  and  no  one 
here  had  heard  of  you." 

"That's  because  I  only  came  the  other  day," 
said  the  blind  Mr.  Clayton.  "You  see  I  am 
thinking  of  going  back  on  the  stage  again,  doing 
a  funny  piano  act.    I  can  play  pretty  well,  even 


184  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

if  I  am  blind,"  he  said,  turning  toward  Mr. 
Brown,  for  he  seemed  to  know  just  where  the 
children's  father  sat.  "And  as  I  don't  like  to 
sit  around  doing  nothing  I've  decided  to  go  back 
on  the  stage  again." 

"We're  going  on  the  stage!"  cried  Bunny, 
who,  with  Sue,  had  been  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
get  in  a  word  or  two. 

"We're  going  to  have  a  real  play  on  a  farm," 
said  Sue.  "And  you  ought  to  see  our  dog  Splash 
hang  on  to  Mr.  Treadwell." 

"Treadwell?  Is  that  the  impersonator?" 
asked  Mr.  Clayton. 

"Yes,"  answered  Mart.  "He  is  helping  us 
with  the  little  play." 

"And  maybe  you  could  be  in  it  and  play  the 
piano!"  cried  Bunny.  "We  heard  you  play  the 
piano  terrible  nice!" 

"Well,  I'm  glad  you  liked  it,"  said  Mr.  Clay- 
ton, with  a  laugh,  "but  I'm  afraid  I'm  not  quite 
ready  to  start  a  performance  yet.  I  need  more 
practice.  Oh,  but  I  am  glad  you  have  found  me, 
and  that  I  have  found  you!" 

"Mr.  Clayton  only  came  to  this  Home  a  few 
days   ago,"   explained   Mr.    Harrison  to   Mr. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  185 

Giving  a  Show 

Brown.  "I  had  forgotten  that  you  had  asked 
about  some  one  of  his  name,  or  I  would  have 
sent  you  word  before  that  the  children's  blind 
uncle  was  here." 

"And  if  I  had  known  they  were  so  near  me, 
and  had  been  looking  so  long  for  me,  I'd  have 
sent  them  word,"  said  Uncle  Bill.  "And  now 
tell  me  all  that  happened,  Mart  and  Lucile." 

Their  story  was  soon  told,  just  as  I  have  writ- 
ten it  here — how  they  were  "stranded"  when  the 
show  broke  up,  and  how  Mr.  Brown  took  care 
of  them.  The  story  of  Mr.  Treadwell  was  also 
told  to  Mart  and  Lucile's  Uncle  Bill,  and  how 
the  impersonator  had  written  the  little  play. 

"And  once  he  lost  his  wig  and  Wango  the 
monkey  had  it!"  cried  Sue. 

"Indeed!  Wango  must  be  a  funny  monkey  1" 
said  Mr.  Clayton. 

"He's  funny,  and  so's  Miss  Winkler,"  said 
Bunny. 

They  all  laughed  at  this,  and  then  Mr.  Clay- 
ton told  his  story. 

He  had  been  an  actor  as  were  many  of  his  rel- 
atives, including  Mart  and  Lucile.  He  had 
been  stricken  blind  some  years  before,  and  had 


186  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

been  in  many  Homes  and  hospitals,  trying  to  get 
cured.  But  at  last  he  had  given  up  hope,  and 
settled  down  to  make  the  best  of  life. 

He  often  wrote  to  Lucile  and  Mart,  and  also 
to  their  Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt  Sallie.  But  of 
late  he  had  lost  the  address  of  the  boy  and  girl 
actor,  and  they  had  also  lost  his.  They  all  trav- 
eled around  so  much  that  one  did  not  know 
where  the  other  was,  except  that  Lucile  and  her 
brother  always  stayed  together,  of  course. 

"But  where  is  Aunt  Sallie?"  asked  Mart. 

Mr.  Clayton  said  that  she  and  her  husband 
were  many  miles  away,  in  a  far  country,  travel- 
ing about  and  acting.  But  he  knew  their  ad- 
dress, and  he  would  at  once  send  them  word  that 
Lucile  and  Mart  wanted  to  hear  from  them. 
Mr.  Clayton  had  not  heard  from  the  Weather- 
bys  for  several  months,  he  remarked. 

"Very  likely  they've  been  trying  as  hard  to 
find  you  as  you  have  to  find  them,"  said  Mr. 
Clayton.  "They'll  be  glad  to  know  that  I  have 
found  you." 

"And  we're  glad  we've  found  you!"  cried 
Lucile,  as  she  kissed  her  blind  uncle  again. 
"Oh,  it's  so  good  to  have  folks!" 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  187 

Giving  a  Show 

"We  would  be  glad  to  have  you  come  over  to 
our  house  and  stay  with  us,"  said  Mr.  Brown 
to  the  blind  man. 

"Thank  you,"  he  answered,  "but  I  must  stay 
here  and  finish  learning  to  play  the  piano  for  the 
act  I  am  to  do.  Of  course  I'll  come  over  and 
see  Lucile  and  Mart,  though.  I  call  it  'seeing' 
them,  but  of  course  I  can't  use  my  eyes,"'  he 
added.  "However,  I've  grown  used  to  that,  and 
I  don't  seem  to  mind  being  in  the  dark." 

"You  can't  ever  see  anybody  make  faces  at 
you — if  they  ever  do — can  you?"  asked  Sue,  as 
she  patted  his  hand. 

"No  indeed!"  laughed  Mr.  Clayton.  "I  never 
thought  of  that.  But  I  suppose  some  bad  people 
like  to  make  faces  at  me,  and,  as  you  say,  if  ever 
they  do  I  sha'n't  see  them." 

"I  don't  guess  anybody  would  make  faces  at 
you  when  you  play  on  the  piano,"  said  Bunny 
Brown. 

"I  don't  guess  so,  either,"  added  Sue. 

There  was  more  talk,  and  then  it  was  time  for 
Mr.  Brown  and  the  children  to  go  back  home. 
Mr.  Clayton  promised  to  write  a  telegram  to 
Lucile's  other  uncle  and  aunt.    He  could  write 


188  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

even  though  he  was  blind,  and  Mr.  Harrison, 
at  the  Home  for  the  Blind,  promised  to  send  the 
message. 

"Then  you'll  hear  from  Uncle  Simon  and) 
Aunt  Sallie  soon,"  said  the  blind  man. 

"I  hope  we  hear  before  the  play!"  exclaimed 
Lucile.  "It  will  make  me  so  much  happier 
when  I  sing." 

"Perhaps  you'll  come  over  to  the  hall  the 
night  or  the  performance,"  suggested  Mr. 
Brown  to  Mr.  Clayton.  "You  can  hear  what 
goes  on." 

"I'll  try  to  come,"  agreed  the  blind  man. 

Very  happy,  now  that  they  had  found  their 
uncle,  Mart  and  Lucile  went  home  with  Mr. 
Brown,  Bunny,  and  Sue,  promising  to  come 
often  again  to  see  Mr.  Clayton. 

"Wasn't  it  queer,"  said  Mart,  "'that,  after 
all,  he  should  come  to  the  same  Home  we're 
going  to  help  with  the  farm  play?" 

"Very  strange,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Brown. 

"And  now,  if  we  can  only  get  word  from 
Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt  Sallie,  how  happy  we'll 
be!"  exclaimed  Lucile. 

"Oh,  I'm  sure  you'll  hear  soon,  my  dear," 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  189 

Giving  a  Show 

said  Mrs.  Brown  when  they  had  reached  home 
and  told  her  the  good  news. 

Then  followed  a  time  of  anxious  waiting, 
with  Lucile  and  Mart  looking  almost  every  hour 
for  a  message  from  their  uncle  and  aunt  so  far 
away.  And  they  and  the  other  children  were 
kept  busy  getting  ready  for  the  play.  For  it 
was  almost  Christmas  and  time  for  the  great 
performance. 

The  tickets  had  been  printed,  and  all  the  mis- 
takes corrected  in  the  type  that  Charlie  Star  had 
set  up.  Many  tickets  had  been  sold,  and  it 
looked  as  though  everything  would  be  all  right. 

"I  do  hope  we  won't  make  any  mistakes,"  said 
Bunny  to  his  sister  one  day,  as  they  were  talk- 
ing about  the  coming  play. 

"I  hope  so,  too,"  she  answered.  "Wouldn't  it 
be  terrible  if  we  got  on  the  stage  and  forgot 
what  we  were  going  to  say?" 

"Yes,  it  would,"  agreed  Bunny.  "I'm  going 
to  keep  on  saying  my  lines  over  and  over  again 
all  the  while.    Then  I  won't  forget." 

"Don't  be  tou  anxious,  my  dears,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown,  as  she  heard  the  children  talking  this 
way.    "Sometimes  the  more  you  try  to  remem- 


190  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

ber  things  like  that,  the  more  easily  you  forget. 
Just  do  your  best,  put  your  whole  mind  on  it, 
and  I'm  sure  you  will  remember  the  right  words 
to  say,  and  the  right  actions  to  do." 

"It's  easier  to  remember  what  to  do  than  what 
to  say,"  declared  Bunny.  "Mr.  Treadwell  tells 
us  to  act  just  as  we  would  if  we  weren't  on  the 
stage,  but  of  course  we  can't  say  anything  we 
happen  to  think  of — we  have  to  say  the  right 
words." 

"I  remember  once,  when  I  was  a  little  girl," 
remarked  Mrs.  Brown,  as  she  threaded  her 
needle,  for  she  was  mending  one  of  Sue's  dresses, 
"I  had  to  speak  a  piece  in  school,  and  I  didn't 
know  it  at  all  well." 

"Oh,  tell  us  about  it,  Mother!"  begged  Sue. 

"Please  do!"  cried  Bunny  Brown.  For  there 
was  a  funny  little  smile  on  his  mother's  face, 
and  whenever  the  children  saw  that  they  knew 
there  was  a  story  back  of  it. 

"Well,  it  was  this  way,"  went  on  Mrs.  Brown. 
"When  I  was  a  little  girl  I  lived  in  the  country, 
and  I  went  to  school  in  a  little  red  brick  school- 
house  about  half  a  mile  down  the  road  from  our 
house.    We  had  a  very  nice  teacher,  and  one 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  191 

Giving  a  Show 

day  she  said  we  must  all  learn  a  piece  to  speak 
for  the  next  Friday  afternoon. 

"Well,  of  course  we  children  were  all  excited. 
Some  of  us  had  spoken  pieces  before,  and  some 
of  us  had  not.  And  I  was  one  that  never  had, 
but  I  was  pleased  to  think  I  should  get  up  in 
front  of  the  whole  school  and  speak  a  piece. 

"When  I  went  home  that  night  I  asked  my 
mother  what  I  should  learn  as  my  recitation. 
She  got  down  a  book  that  she  had  used  when 
she  was  a  little  school  girl,  and  in  it  were  a 
number  of  nice  pieces.  There  was  one  about 
Mary  and  her  little  lamb,  but  I  thought  that  was 
too  young  for  me  to  take,  c<^  I  picked  out  one 
about  a  ship  being  wrecked  at  sea.  There  were 
about  ten  verses  to  the  piece,  and  they  told  how 
a  great  storm  came  up  and  drove  the  vessel  on 
the  rocks." 

"I'd  like  to  see  a  big  storm!"  exclaimed 
Bunny. 

"Please  keep  quiet!"  begged  Sue.  "Mother 
can't  tell  about  her  speaking  in  school  if  you're 
going  to  talk  all  the  while." 

"I  won't  talk  any  more,"  promised  Bunny 
Brown.    "Please  go  on,  Mother.    I'll  be  quiet." 


192  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

So  Mrs.  Brown  continued: 

"I  began  to  learn  this  piece  about  the  wreck. 
1 1  don't  remember  now,  how  it  all  went,  but  I 
'know  the  first  two  lines  were  like  this: 

"  'The  thunder  rolls, 
The  lightning  flashes  I' 

"I  remember  those  lines  very  well,"  said  the 
children's  mother,  "and  I  thought  how  wonder- 
ful it  would  be  if  I  could  get  up  there  and  speak 
them  in  a  loud  voice.  I  practiced  hard,  too — 
as  hard  as  you  have  practiced  for  your  play. 
And  I  thought  I  had  the  piece  learned  perfectly* 
Finally  Friday  afternoon  came,  lessons  were 
finished,  books  put  away  and  we  got  ready  for 
the  recitations  in  the  main  schoolroom. 

"■I  forget  the  different  pieces  that  were 
spoken.  There  were  all  kinds,  but  none  like 
mine.  Some  were  sad  and  some  were  funny,  and 
'some  of  the  boys  and  girls  got  up  and  were  so 
stage-struck  that  they  couldn't  think  of  a  single 
word  of  the  pieces  they  had  learned. 

"Then  I  was  afraid  this  would  happen  to 
me,  but  when  my  name  was  called,  and  I  walked 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  193 

Giving  a  Show 

up  to  the  platform,  I  was  glad  to  find  that  I 
could  remember  every  single  word — or  at  least 
I  thought  I  could. 

"But  dear  me!  As  soon  as  I  opened  my 
mouth  and  began  to  speak  it  was  just  as  though 
the  bottom  had  opened  and  let  everything  fall 
out  of  everything.  All  I  could  think  of  was  the 
first  two  lines : 

"  'The  thunder  rolls, 
The  lightning  flashes  !' 

"Over  and  over  again  I  repeated  those  lines, 
and  I  could  not  get  past  them.  The  teacher 
looked  sorry  for  me,  and  some  of  the  boys  and 
girls  began  to  laugh.  This  made  it  all  the  worse 
for  me,  and  my  face  grew  red.  Over  and  over 
again  I  told  about  the  thunder  and  lightning, 
and  at  last  I  made  up  my  mind  I'd  have  to  do 
something,  or  else  go  to  my  seat  as  some  of  the 
other  girls  had  done,  without  finishing.  And  I 
didn't  want  to  do  that. 

"So  I  braced  my  feet  on  the  platform,  and 
then  I  stood  straight  up  in  front  of  the  whole 
school  and  fairly  shouted  out  this  verse: 


194  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"  'The  thunder  rolls, 
The  lightning  flashes! 
It  broke  Grandmother's  teapot 
All  to  smashes!' 

"That's  what  I  gave  as  my  first  recitation," 
went  on  Mrs.  Brown,  when  Bunny  and  Sue  had 
finished  laughing.  "How  those  words  about  my 
grandmother's  teapot  popped  into  my  head  I 
don't  know.  I  don't  even  remember  my  grand- 
mother's teapot,  though  I  suppose  she  had  one. 
But  that's  the  verse  I  recited.  And  you  should 
have  heard  the  children  laugh!" 

"What  did  the  teacher  say?"  asked  Bunny. 

"At  the  time  I  thought  she  was  rather  angry," 
answered  his  mother,  "thinking  I  had  done  it 
on  purpose,  to  make  fun  of  the  speaking.  But 
really  I  had  not.  The  wrong  two  lines  popped 
into  my  head  all  of  a  sudden.  And  of  course 
they  spoiled  the  piece.  I  know  now,  too,  that 
she  was  trying  to  keep  from  laughing,  and  that 
made  her  look  stern." 

"I  hope  that  doesn't  happen  to  us,"  said  Sue, 
as  she  and  Bunny  thought  over  the  little  story 
their  mother  had  told  them. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  195 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  hope  not,  either,"  agreed  her  brother. 
"Come  on — let's  go  up  in  the  attic  and  prac- 
tice." 

So  they  did,  and  tor  some  time  they  went  over 
the  lines  they  were  to  speak  on  the  stage.  After 
a  while  Lucile  and  Mart  came  in  and  helped 
Bunny  and  Sue.  The  older  boy  and  girl  said 
the  two  little  ones  were  doing  very  well.  Mr. 
Treadwell,  too,  who  heard  Bunny  and  Sue  go 
through  their  parts,  said  they  did  very  well. 

"We'll  have  a  good  practice  to-morrow,"  said 
the  impersonator. 

Then  Mr.  Treadwell  called  a  dress  rehearsal. 
That  is  generally  the  last  one  before  the  show, 
and  it  is  really  a  complete  performance  in  itself, 
though  the  audience  isn't  allowed  to  come  in. 

The  day  before  Christmas  Bunny,  Sue, 
Lucile,  Mart,  and  the  other  girls  and  boys  as- 
sembled in  the  hall  over  the  hardware  store  for 
the  dress  rehearsal.  Mr.  Treadwell  was  there, 
and  the  men  who  were  to  help  set  up  the  scenery 
were  on  hand. 

Just  before  it  was  time  for  the  rehearsal  to 
begin  George  Watson  went  up  to  Mr.  Tread- 
well. 


196  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"If  you  please,"  said  he,  "couldn't  Peter  be 
in  the  play?" 

"Peter?  Who  is  Peter?"  asked  the  imper- 
sonator. "I'm  afraid  it's  too  late  to  put  any 
one  else  in,  George.  They  wouldn't  have  time 
to  practice,  and,  besides,  we  really  have  all  the 
actors  we  need." 

"Oh,  Peter  wouldn't  need  any  practice,"  said 
George.  "He'd  be  just  fine  in  the  barnyard 
scene.    I  brought  him  with  me  I" 

"Well,  I'm  sorry,  for  I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to 
disappoint  your  friend  Peter,"  said  Mr.  Tread- 
well.    "But  where  is  he?" 

"Here  in  this  basket,"  answered  George,  and 
he  held  up  a  small  one  in  front  of  the  stage 
manager. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

"WHERE  is  bunny?" 

Mr.  Tread  well  looked  first  at  George,  then 
at  the  basket,  and  once  more  at  George. 

"Now  look  here,  George,"  said  the  actor.  "I 
don't  mind  your  making  fun  or  having  jokes,  but 
I'm  very  busy  now,  for  the  first  act  of  the  re- 
hearsal is  going  to  start.  Besides,  you  shouldn't 
bring  your  baby  brother  to  the  hall  in  a  small 
basket  like  that." 

"My  baby  brother?"  cried  George  with  a 
laugh.  "I  haven't  any  baby  brother!  I  have  a 
sister  Mary,  but " 

"But  you  said  Peter  was  in  there,"  said  Mr. 
Treadwell.    "And  if  Peter  is " 

"Oh,  Peter  isn't  a  baby,  and  he  isn't  my 
brother,"  said  George  with  another  laugh. 
"He's  only  a " 

But  before  he  could  say  what  Peter  was  a 
loud  crow  sounded  from  inside  the  basket  which 
George  held  up. 

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"  sounded  all  through 
the  hall,  and  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others  who 

197 


198  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

were  getting  ready  for  their  parts  in  the  dress 
rehearsal  of  the  play,  laughed.  Mr.  Treadwell 
looked  surprised. 

"Why — why — it's  a  rooster!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  Peter  is  my  pet  bantam  rooster,"  said 
George.  "I  brought  him  with  me  because  I 
thought  he  could  crow  in  the  barnyard  scene, 
and  make  it  more  natural  like." 

"Well,  a  crowing  rooster  would  be  a  good 
performer  to  have  in  a  barnyard  scene  on  a 
stage,"  agreed  Mr.  Treadwell.  "But  the  only 
thing  about  it  is  that  we  couldn't  be  sure  that 
he  would  crow  at  the  right  time.  He  might 
crow  when  Lucile  was  singing,  or  when  Bunny 
Brown  was  doing  some  of  his  tricks,  or  when 
Sue  was  making  believe  run  away  from  me 
when  I'm  dressed  up  like  a  tramp." 

"Yes,"  said  George,  "that's  so.  Peter  crows  a 
lot,  and  you  can't  tell  when  he's  going  to  do  it. 
But,  Mr.  Treadwell,  he  always  crows  when  he 
flaps  his  wings,  and  if  somebody  could  hold  his| 
wings  so  they  couldn't  flap  then  he  couldn't 
crow.    I  wish  we  could  have  him  in  the  play!" 

"Well,  we  might  try  him,  anyhow,"  said  Mr. 
Treadwell,  with  a  laugh.     "Though  I  haven't 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  199 

Giving  a  Show 

anybody  I  could  let  stand  near  and  hold  the 
rooster's  wings  so  he  wouldn't  crow." 

"I  could  do  that,"  offered  George.  "My 
rooster  likes  me." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  he  does,"  agreed  the  stage 
manager.  "But  you  have  to  recite  a  piece  in  the 
play,  George,  and  your  rooster  might  start  to 
crow  when  you  were  reciting." 

"That  would  make  me  laugh,"  said  George, 
with  a  smile,  "and  I  couldn't  pucker  up  my 
mouth  to  whistle,  and  I  have  to  do  that  in  my 
piece." 

"Then  I  guess  we  had  better  not  have  the 
rooster  in  the  play,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell.  "But 
since  you  have  brought  him  we'll  let  him  stay 
for  the  practice,  and  we'll  see  how  he  behaves. 
He  certainly  would  be  good  in  the  barnyard 
scene,  and  make  it  quite  natural,  but  I'm  afraid 
he'll  crow  at  the  wrong  time." 

"And  did  you  really  think  George  had  a  little 
baby  brother  in  the  basket?"  asked  Sue,  as  the 
rooster  was  being  shut  up  again. 

"Yes,  I  really  did,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell.  "But 
now  everybody  get  ready!  The  rehearsal  will 
begin  in  a  minute." 


200  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

It  took  a  little  while  for  all  the  boys  and 
girls  to  find  their  right  places.  Their  mothers 
or  big  sisters  were,  in  most  cases,  on  hand  ready 
to  help  them,  to  see  that  this  little  girl's  dress 
was  buttoned  up  the  back,  that  her  hair  ribbon 
was  prettily  tied  and  that  the  little  boys  had 
their  hair  combed  as  it  ought  to  be. 

But  at  last  everything  was  finished,  and  the 
stage  was  set  for  the  first  scene,  that  of  the 
meadow.  Everything  was  to  go  on  just  as  if  it 
was  the  real  play — the  scenery,  the  lights,  the 
curtain  being  raised  and  lowered,  and  every- 
thing. 

Out  in  front  were  the  mothers,  the  big  sisters, 
with,  here  and  there,  an  occasional  father  of  the 
children  who  were  taking  part.  This  was  the 
audience.  Of  course  this  audience  didn't  pay 
anything,  but  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the  others  who 
were  getting  up  the  play,  hoped  a  large  throng 
would  come  Christmas  afternoon,  when  the  real 
play  would  be  given. 

I  must  not  tell  you,  here,  how  the  rehearsal 
went,  for  it  was  so  like  the  play  that  if  I  set 
down  all  that  took  place  I  wouldn't  have  any- 
thing left  to  tell  you  about  the  main  perform- 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  201 

Giving  a  Show 

ance.  All  I  will  say  is  that  after  the  meadow, 
scene  came  the  one  in  the  barnyard. 

"Now  if  the  Peter  rooster  will  crow  right  this 
will  be  a  good  scene,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell. 

Well,  the  scene  was  all  right — at  least  at  first. 
Bunny  and  Sue  did  their  parts  well,  and  so  did 
the  other  children.  The  people  sitting  in  front 
of  the  footlights — which  glowed  as  brightly  as 
they  would  in  the  real  performance — said  the 
show  was  going  on  finely.  And  Peter  crowed 
just  at  the  right  time,  too,  without  any  one  tell- 
ing him  to. 

"That's  great!"  said  Mr.  Treadwell.  "I  think 
he  can  be  in  the  play  after  all,  George.  It  helps 
out  the  barnyard  scene." 

George  felt  quite  proud  of  his  bantam  rooster, 
and  Bunny  and  Sue  were  glad  the  feathered 
actor  was  in  their  show.  But  alas!  Toward 
the  end  of  the  barnyard  scene,  when  Lucile  was 
singing  a  sad  little  song,  Peter  began  to  crow. 
He  crowed  and  he  crowed  and  he  crowed,  until 
Lucile  could  hardly  be  heard,  and  everybody 
laughed  instead  of  sitting  quietly. 

"I'll  go  and  hold  his  wings,"  offered  George. 


202  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

But  even  that  didn't  quiet  Peter.  He  kept  on 
crowing  louder  than  ever. 

"I  know  what  I'll  do,"  said  Bunny  Brown. 
"I'll  put  Peter  in  his  basket  and  carry  him  down 
to  the  cellar.  That'll  be  dark,  and  he'll  think 
it's  night  and  he'll  stop  crowing." 

"That  will  be  just  the  thing!"  said  Mr.  Tread- 
well. 

So  as  Bunny  Brown  didn't  have  anything  to 
do  just  then  in  the  barnyard  scene,  he  put  Peter 
in  the  basket  and  carried  the  bantam  rooster 
downstairs. 

"What  have  you  got  there?"  asked  Mr.  Ray- 
mond, the  hardware  man,  as  he  saw  Bunny  with 
the  basket. 

The  little  boy  told. 

"Yes,  put  him  down  in  the  cellar,"  said  Mr. 
Raymond.  "That  ought  to  keep  him  quiet.  I'll 
turn  on  the  electric  lights  down  there  for  you, 
so  you  can  see.  Otherwise  you  might  tumble 
downstairs  in  the  dark." 

Bunny  had  been  down  in  the  hardware  store 
cellar  before,  once  when  his  father  was  looking 
at  a  certain  piece  of  iron  for  a  boat,  the  iron  being 
stowed  away  down  in  the  basement,  and  at  other 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  203 

Giving  a  Show 

times,  when  he  himself  wanted  to  buy  some  odds 
or  ends  from  the  hardware  man  to  make  some 
toy.  So  Bunny  knew  his  way  down  into  the 
cellar. 

"I'll  come  and  get  you  after  the  play,"  said 
Bunny  to  Peter,  as  he  set  the  basket,  with  the 
rooster  in  it,  on  a  big  box. 

Peter  didn't  answer.  He  didn't  even  crow. 
I  guess  he  didn't  like  the  dark.  He  might  have 
thought  it  was  night,  when  the  electric  lights 
were  turned  out  after  Bunny  had  gone  upstairs, 
and  Peter  may  have  gone  to  roost. 

Bunny  tramped  upstairs  and  went  on  with  his 
parts  in  the  play.  Everything  went  along  nicely, 
and  every  one  said  the  last  act,  the  one  in  the 
orchard,  was  fine.  Bunny  and  Sue  did  well,  as 
did  Lucile,  Mart  and  the  others. 

"I  wish  we  could  think  of  some  way  so  my 
rooster  would  only  crow  at  the  right  time,"  said 
George,  when  talking  to  Bunny,  after  the  re- 
hearsal was  over. 

Bunny  Brown  wished  so,  too,  for  he  wanted 
the  little  play  to  be  as  real  as  it  could,  so  the 
people  who  saw  it  would  be  glad  they  had 


204  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

come  to  pay  money  to  help  the  Home  for  the 
Blind. 

Mr.  Clayton  sent  word  from  the  Home  that 
he  would  surely  be  on  hand  at  the  performance 
Christmas  afternoon.  He  also  said  he  had  not 
yet  received  any  word  from  the  other  uncle  and 
aunt  of  the  two  vaudeville  children. 

"Oh,  dear,"  sighed  Lucile  on  Christmas  eve, 
as  she  and  her  brother  sat  in  the  Brown  home, 
"I  do  hope  we  can  find  Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt 
Salliel" 

"So  do  I  hope  you  do,"  said  Sue.  "But,  oh, 
won't  we  have  fun  to-morrow  at  the  play!  And 
to-morrow  is  Christmas.  I'm  going  to  hang  up 
my  stocking.  Are  you  going  to  hang  up  your 
stocking?"  she  asked  Mart  and  Lucile. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  boy 
slowly.  "I  guess,  seeing  that  we  haven't  heard 
from  Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt  Sallie  yet,  that 
maybe  it  wouldn't  be  any  use  for  us  to  hang  up 
our  stockings,  Sue." 

"Oh,  I  think  it  would,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
with  a  funny  little  smile.  "You  tell  Mart  and 
Lucile  to  hang  them  up,  Sue.  I  don't  believe 
Santa  Claus  will  forget  them." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  205 

Giving  a  Show 

"There!"  cried  Sue.  "You  must  do  as  mother 
says.  Come  on,  Bunny!"  she  added.  "Let's  get 
our  stockings  ready,  and  we'll  go  to  bed  early. 
Christmas  will  come  sooner  then.  Why,  where's 
Bunny?"  she  asked,  as  she  looked  out  in  the 
kitchen  where  she  had  last  seen  her  brother. 
"Bunny!"  she  called.  "Come  on,  hang  up  ou? 
stockings !" 

But  Bunny  Brown  did  not  answer. 

"Bunny  isn't  here!"  said  Sue.  "Where  is 
Bunny?" 


CHAPTER  XXII 
ACT  I 

"WHAT'S  that?  Isn't  Bunny  here?"  asked 
Mr.  Brown,  who  was  busy  talking  to  Mr. 
Treadwell  about  the  play. 

"This  is  the  first  I  knew  he  wasn't  here,"  an- 
swered Mrs.  Brown.  "Did  any  one  see  him  go 
out?" 

No  one  had. 

"Perhaps  he  is  upstairs,"  said  Lucile. 

"No,  he  wouldn't  go  up  to  bed  without  tell- 
ing me,"  said  Mrs.  Brown.  "Besides,  he's  been 
teasing  me  all  evening  to  get  his  stockings  ready 
to  hang  up,  and  he  wouldn't  go  without  them. 
Where  can  he  be?" 

"He  isn't  in  the  kitchen,"  said  Sue,  for  she 
had  gone  out  to  look,  and  had  come  back  again. 

"Perhaps  he  is  hiding  away  from  you,  just 
for  fun,"  said  Mart. 

"He  sometimes  does  play  tricks,"  remarked 
Mr.  Brown.    "I'll  take  a  look." 

They  all  looked,  and  they  called,  but  Bunny 
could  not  be  found.    He  did  not  seem  to  be  in 

206 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  207 

Giving  a  Show 

the  house.  Mr.  Brown  even  opened  the  back 
door  and  shouted,  thinking  perhaps  Bunny  had 
gone  out  to  see  that  the  Shetland  pony  was  all 
right,  as  he  sometimes  did. 

"Dear  me!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown,  "where 
can  he  be?" 

"Oh,  he's  all  right,"  said  her  husband.  "It's 
early  yet,  even  if  it  is  dark,  and  maybe  he  went 
out  to  play  in  the  snow,  though  of  course  he 
shouldn't  at  this  hour." 

"It's  snowing,  too,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  as  she 
stood  in  the  back  door  beside  her  husband. 
"Snowing  hard!  There's  going  to  be  a  big 
storm,  and  if  Bunny  is  out  in  it — I  wish  Bunny 
would  not  do  such  things !" 

"Oh,  will  he  get  freezed?"  cried  Sue,  her  eyes 
opening  big  and  round. 

"No,  dear,  he'll  be  all  right,"  replied  her 
mother.    "But  he  must  be  found." 

"Maybe  he  went  out  with  Bunker  Blue,"  sug- 
gested Mart. 

Bunker  Blue,  the  boy,  or  rather,  young  man, 
who  worked  for  Mr.  Brown  at  the  fish  and  boat 
dock,  had  been  at  the  house  shortly  after  sup- 
per, and  later  had  said  he  was  going  back  to  the 


208  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

office  to  make  sure  it  was  locked,  for  it  would 
not  be  open  on  Christmas  Day. 

"Perhaps  Bunny  did  go  back  with  Bunker," 
said  Mr.  Brown.  "Though  he  shouldn't  have 
done  that.  But  he  was  so  excited  about  the  play 
there  is  no  telling  what  he  might  do." 

"Bunker  ought  to  be  at  the  office  about  this 
time,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  looking  at  the  clock. 
"Call  him  on  the  telephone,"  she  begged  her 
husband,  "and  ask  him  if  Bunny  is  there.  I 
hope  he  is." 

Bunker  Blue  answered  the  telephone  a  few 
minutes  later,  when  Mr.  Brown  had  called  him 
on  the  wire. 

"No,  Bunny  didn't  come  out  with  me,"  said 
Bunker.  "But  I  saw  him  in  the  kitchen  with 
his  cap,  coat,  and  rubber  boots  on  when  I  left. 
He  seemed  to  be  getting  ready  to  go  out." 

"Then  he's  gone  off  somewhere  without  tell- 
ing us  anything  about  it!"  cried  Mrs.  Brown. 
"Maybe  he  went  over  to  Charlie  Star's  house, 
to  make  sure  there  would  be  enough  tickets  for 
the  show.    Oh,  I  wish  he  hadn't  gone  out!" 

"I  can  telephone  to  Mr.  Star  and  ask,"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Brown.    But  when  he  had  done  this, 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  209 

Giving  a  Show 

and  no  Bunny  Brown  was  there,  they  all  began 
to  get  quite  excited. 

"I'll  get  on  my  coat  and  rubbers  and  go  out 
with  you,"  said  Mart,  as  Mr.  Brown  began  to 
put  on  his  overcoat.  "He  might  be  in  the  barn, 
practicing  some  of  the  tricks  he  is  going  to  do 
in  the  play  to-morrow." 

"Oh,  I  don't  believe  Bunny  would  go  out  to 
the  barn  alone  after  dark,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

Her  husband  and  Mart  were  just  starting  out 
into  the  storm  to  look  for  the  missing  Bunny 
when  the  tramp  of  feet  was  heard  on  the  porch. 

"Here  comes  somebody!"  cried  Sue.  "I  hope 
it's  Bunny!" 

But  it  was  not.  Instead  it  was  Bunker  Blue, 
and  he  was  coveied  with  snow  flakes.  His  nose 
was  red,  too,  even  if  his  name  was  Bunker  Blue. 

"Has  Bunny  come  back  yyet?"  asked  Bunker, 
as  he  stamped  his  feet  on  the  porch,  to  get  the 
snow  off. 

"No,  he  hasn't,"  answered  Mr.  Brown.  "We 
are  getting  very  anxious  about  him,  too,  though 
the  worst  that  can  happen  is  that  he  may  get 
cold.    He  shouldn't  have  gone  out!" 

"Well,  I  didn't  see  anything  of  him,"  said 


210  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Bunker  Blue.  "I  was  quite  surprised  at  what 
you  told  me,  over  the  telephone,  about  his  not 
being  in  the  house  in  this  storm." 

"Oh,  maybe  he'll  never  come  back,  and  then 
we  can't  have  our  nice  Christmas  play!"  ex- 
claimed Sue. 

"Oh,  Bunny  will  come  back  all  right — don't 
worry  about  that,"  said  her  father  gently.  "If 
he  doesn't  come  we'll  go  and  get  him.  In  fact, 
now  that  you  are  here,  Bunker,  we  three  might 
as  well  set  out  and  look  for  the  little  fellow. 
He's  got  something  on  his  mind,  or  he  wouldn't 
go  out  as  he  did." 

"I'm  sure  I  can't  see  what  made  him  go  out," 
said  Mrs.  Brown.  "It's  snowing  very  hard, 
too,"  she  added,  as  she  shaded  h<;r  eyes  from  the 
light  in  the  room  and  looked  out  of  the  window. 

"But  it  isn't  very  cold,  that's  one  good  thing," 
her  husband  added.  "Of  course  I  wish  Bunny 
hadn't  gone  out,  but,  since  he  has,  we  must  go 
out  and  find  him." 

"Could  he,  by  any  chance,  be  hiding  some- 
where in  the  house?"  asked  Mart. 

"We'll  look,"  decided  Mr.  Brown,  "although 
we  looked  before." 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  21 1 

Giving  a  Show 

He  and  Mart,  as  well  as  Bunker  Blue,  were 
dressed  to  go  out  into  the  storm  to  look  for 
Bunny,  who  was  so  strangely  missing,  but  when 
Mart  said  this  Mr.  Brown  decided  that  it  would 
be  better  to  go  over  the  house  once  more,  to 
make  sure  Bunny  was  not  hiding  away. 

"We'll  take  Sue  with  us  to  help  search,"  said 
her  father,  as  he  took  off  his  overcoat,  for  he 
did  not  know  how  long  he  would  stay  in  the 
house.  "Bunny  and  Sue  play  hide-and-go-seek 
games  in  the  different  rooms,"  went  on  Mr. 
Brown,  "and  Sue  knows  lots  of  hiding  places; 
don't  you,  Sue?" 

"Yes,  we  hide  in  lots  of  places,"  the  little  girl 
answered.  "But  I  don't  guess  Bunny  is  hiding 
now." 

"Oh,  well,  maybe  he  is,  just  to  fool  us,"  re- 
turned her  father.  "Come  now,  we'll  begin  the 
search." 

And  while  the  storm  was  getting  more  and 
more  wild  outside,  with  the  wind  blowing  | 
harder  and  the  snowflakes  coming  down  more 
and  more  thickly,  Mr.  Brown,  Bunker,  and 
Mart,  with  Sue  and  Mrs.  Brown  to  help  them, 
began  searching  through  the  house  after  Bunny. 


212  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

It  was  a  good  thing  they  took  Sue  with  them, 
for  she  knew  many  "cubby  holes"  in  which  she 
and  her  brother  often  took  turns  hiding.  And 
some  of  these  even  her  mother  had  forgotten 
about,  though  Mrs.  Brown  thought  she  knew 
every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  house. 

But  Bunny  was  in  none  of  these  places,  and 
though  they  looked  and  called  his  name  and 
called  again,  from  attic  to  cellar,  there  was  no 
sign  of  the  little  fellow. 

"He  surely  must  have  gone  out!"  decided  Mr. 
Brown.  "Very  likely  he's  gone  to  see  some  of 
the  boys  to  talk  about  the  play." 

"Then  let's  go  and  find  him!"  cried  Bunker 
Blue,  putting  on  his  coat  again. 

"That's  what  I  say!"  came  from  Mart.  "This 
is  no  night  for  a  little  boy  to  be  out.  It's  snow- 
ing harder  than  ever." 

So  Mr.  Brown,  Bunker,  and  Mart  started  out 
to  look  for  Bunny.  They  went  first  to  one  house 
and  then  to  another,  and  there  were  many 
houses  where  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister  Sue 
were  in  the  habit  of  calling.  At  most  of  the 
places  were  boys  and  girls  with  whom  Bunny 
and  Sue  played,  or  who  were  to  take  part  in  the 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  213 

Giving  a  Show 

Christmas  show.  But  none  of  these  boys  or  girls 
had  seen  Bunny. 

"Well,  this  is  certainly  strange!"  declared 
Mr.  Brown,  when  they  had  stopped  at  the  last 
place  where  they  thought  it  likely  Bunny  would 
be.  "I  guess  we'll  have  to  tell  the  police  about 
it  and  have  them  help  hunt  for  him.  I  don't 
see  what  else  we  can  do." 

"Maybe  it  would  be  the  best  way,"  agreed 
Bunker  Blue.  "I'll  go  down  and  tell  the  chief 
of  police." 

"No,  we  had  better  telephone — that's  quick- 
er," said  Mr.  Brown.  So  they  stopped  in  the 
drug  store  and  Mr.  Brown  talked  to  the  police 
station  on  the  wire. 

"All  right,"  the  chief  answered  back.  "I'll 
start  some  of  my  men  out  on  the  search.  You 
go  back  home  and  let  me  know  as  soon  as  Bunny 
is  found  or  comes  back." 

This  Mr.  Brown  promised  to  do,  and  soon  he 
and  Mart  and  Bunker  were  back  at  the  Brown 
home.  Mrs.  Brown  looked  very  much  disap- 
pointed and  worried  when  her  husband  came 
in  without  Bunny. 

"Oh,  where  can  he  be?"  she  cried. 


214  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Just  then  the  heavy  tramp  of  feet  was  heard 
on  the  porch. 

"Maybe  this  is  Bunny!"  exclaimed  Mart. 

And  Bunny  Brown  it  was,  all  covered  with 
snow  flakes,  his  eyes  shining  and  his  cheeks  red 
with  the  cold.  He  carried  a  small  basket  in  one 
hand,  and  the  other  was  clasped  in  that  of  Mr. 
Raymond,  the  man  who  owned  the,  hardware 
store. 

"Why  Bunny  Brown!  where  have  you  been?" 
cried  his  mother,  as  the  lamp  light  shone  on  his 
flushed  face,  and  made  the  snowflakes  sparkle. 

"And  what  have  you  got  in  the  basket?"  asked 
Sue. 

"That's  Peter,"  was  the  answer,  and  before 
any  one  could  ask  who  Peter  was,  if  they  had 
wished  to,  there  came  a  loud  crow  from  the 
basket. 

"A  rooster!"  cried  Mrs.  Brown. 

"Yes,"  said  Bunny.  "Peter — he's  George's 
pet  bantam  rooster.  And  he  crowed  at  the 
wrong  time  in  the  practice  to-day — I  mean 
Peter  crowed — so  I  took  him  down  into  Mr. 
Raymond's  cellar.  And  then  I  forgot  all  about 
him,  and  I  left  him  there,  and  I  thought  of  him 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  215 

Giving  a  Show 

after  supper,  and  I  guessed  he'd  be  hungry,  so 
I  went  back  to  get  him." 

"Yes,  that's  just  what  he  did,"  said  the  hard- 
ware man.  "I  was  busy  waiting  on  late  Christ- 
mas Eve  customers,  when  in  came  Bunny,  all 
covered  with  snow.  I  didn't  know  what  he 
meant  when  he  told  me  he'd  come  back  for  the 
rooster,  for  I'd  forgotten  about  the  bird  myself. 

"Nothing  would  do  but  he  must  bring  Peter 
home,  and,  knowing  what  a  bad  storm  it  was, 
I  came  back  with  him.  I'd  have  telephoned, 
but  my  wire's  out  of  order,  so  I  couldn't  reach 
you,  and  I  didn't  want  to  stop  to  go  anywhere 
else.    So  I  brought  him  over  in  my  auto." 

"It  was  very  kind  of  you,"  said  Mr.  Brown. 

"And,  Bunny,  it  was  very  wrong  of  you  to  go 
away  without  telling  us,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

"I'm  sorry,"  answered  the  little  boy.  "But  I 
thought  maybe  Peter'd  be  lonesome  all  alone  in 
the  dark,  and  on  Christmas  Eve  too." 

"That's  so!"  laughed  Mr.  Raymond.  "I  guess, 
Mrs.  Brown,  you'll  have  to  forgive  Bunny  on 
account  of  it's  being  Christmas  Eve." 

"Did  you  hang  up  your  stocking,  Mr.  Ray- 
mond?" asked  Sue,  and  they  all  laughed  at  that, 


216  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

so  that  every  one  felt  better,  and  Bunny  was  not 
scolded,  as  perhaps  he  ought  to  have  been. 

"Well,  I  must  get  back  to  my  store,"  said  the 
hardware  man.  "Merry  Christmas  to  you,  and 
I'll  see  you  all  at  the  play  to-morrow!" 

"Yes,  we'll  all  be  there!"  cried  Bunny. 
"You're  going  to  have  a  free  ticket,  you  know!" 

This  had  been  decided  on,  because  Mr.  Ray- 
mond was  so  kind  about  letting  the  children 
have  the  new  hall  he  had  fitted  up. 

"Good-nights,"  and  more  "Merry  Christmas" 
greetings  were  called  back  and  forth,  and  then, 
as  the  hardware  man  left  in  his  automobile,  to 
go  chugging  through  the  storm,  Bunny  Brown 
and  his  sister  Sue  hung  up  their  stockings  for 
Santa  Claus  and  went  to  bed. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  happy;  aren't  you,  Bunny?" 
laughed  Sue.  "Christmas  will  be  here  in  the 
morning,  and  we're  going  to  have  a  play  an' — 
everything  lovely!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Bunny.  "I'm  glad,  and  I'm 
glad  I  got  Peter  so  he  won't  have  to  stay  all 
alone,  too." 

The  little  rooster  was  taken  out  by  Mr.  Brown 
and  put  in  the  chicken  house  near  the  barn  for 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  217 

Giving  a  Show 

the  night.  Word  was  telephoned  to  George  that 
his  pet  bantam  was  all  right.  In  a  little  while 
every  one  in  the  house  was  in  bed. 

If  this  book  had  started  out  to  be  a  Christmas 
story  I  could  put  in  a  lot  about  what  nice  pres- 
ents Bunny  and  Sue  got.  And  also  how  Santa 
Claus  did  not  forget  Mart  and  Lucile.  But  as 
this  is  a  book  about  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister 
Sue  giving  a  show,  I  must  get  to  that  part  of  my 
story.  I'll  just  say,  though,  that  the  little  boy 
and  girl  thought  it  was  the  finest  Christmas  they 
had  ever  known. 

"I  hope  it  won't  snow  so  hard  that  nobody 
will  come  to  the  show,"  said  Sue,  when,  after 
breakfast,  she  stood  with  her  nose  pressed  in  a 
funny,  flat  way  against  the  window.  It  was 
snowing,  but  not  too  hard. 

"O,  I  guess  every  one  will  come,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown.  "They  have  all  bought  tickets,  anyhow, 
so  you'll  make  some  money  for  the  Home  for  the 
Blind." 

"And  I  hope  Uncle  Bill  doesn't  forget  to 
come,"  put  in  Lucile. 

"I  had  word  from  him  a  little  while  ago," 
said  Mr.  Brown.    "I'm  going  for  him  in  my 


218  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

auto.  And  now  we  must  have  an  early  dinner 
and  get  ready  for  the  play." 

I  think  Bunny  and  Sue  were  so  excited  that 
they  did  not  eat  as  much  roast  turkey  and  cran- 
berry sauce  at  that  Christmas  dinner  as  at  others. 
But  they  had  enough,  anyhow,  and  in  due  time 
they  were  at  the  hall,  where  they  met  all  the 
other  children.  Bunny  had  brought  back  the 
bantam  rooster,  thinking  that  perhaps,  after  all, 
Peter  might  have  some  part  in  the  play.  Will 
Laydon  had  his  trained  white  mice  with  him, 
Splash  was  on  hand,  ready  to  cling  to  the  piece 
of  cloth  on  Mr.  Treadwell's  coat,  and  some 
other  animal  pets  were  ready  to  do  their  share 
in  the  play. 

There  was  a  final  looking  over  of  every  one, 
mothers  and  sisters  saw  to  it  that  the  dresses  and 
suits  of  the  girls  and  boys  were  all  right,  and 
Mr.  Treadwell  was  here,  there,  and  everywhere, 
back  of  the  scenes  and  curtain. 

"Oh,  there's  a  terrible  big  crowd!"  exclaimed 
Bunny,  as  he  looked  out  at  the  audience  through 
a  peep-hole  in  the  curtain. 

"Then  we'll  make  a  lot  of  money  for  the 
Blind  Home,"  said  Sue. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  219 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  see  Uncle  Bill!"  cried  Mart,  as  he,  too, 
looked  out. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad!"  exclaimed  Lucile.  "Now 
if  we  could  only  hear  from  Aunt  Sallie  and 
Uncle  Simon  everything  would  be  all  right." 

The  musicians  were  in  their  places.  The  hall 
was  well  filled,  not  only  with  boys  and  girls  who 
had  come  to  see  their  chums  and  playmates  act, 
but  with  grown  folks  as  well. 

"Are  you  all  ready?"  asked  Mr.  Treadwell 
of  Bunny,  Sue  and  the  others,  as  the  musicians 
finished  playing  the  opening  piece. 

"Yes,"  answered  Bunny.    "I'm  all  ready." 

"Is  my  hair  ribbon  on  right?"  Sue  wanted  to 
know. 

"Yes,  you  look  sweet!"  said  Lucile. 

"Now  all  ready  for  act  one!"  exclaimed  the 
impersonator  as  he  made  sure  that  Snap  was  in 
his  place. 

And  then  up  went  the  curtain  on  the  meadow 
scene ! 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

ACT  II 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence  when  the  cur- 
tain first  went  up,  and  then  as  the  audience, 
many  of  them  for  the  first  time,  saw  the  pretty 
meadow  scene,  there  was  loud  clapping.  For 
the  opening  act  was  very  nicely  gotten  up.  The 
scenery  Mr.  Brown  had  bought  from  the 
stranded  vaudeville  company  had  been  so  set  up 
by  Mr.  Treadwell  that  it  looked  very  natural. 

"Why,  bless  me,  if  that  don't  look  jest  like  my 
south  meddar!"  exclaimed  old  Mr.  Tyndell,  as 
he  looked  at  the  stage. 

"Hush,  father!  The  people  will  hear  you!" 
whispered  his  wife. 

"Wa'al,  I  want  'em  to!"  he  went  on.  "That's 
a  fine  piece  of  meddar!" 

Several  sitting  near  the  old  farmer  laughed, 
but  no  one  minded  it.  And  then,  as  the  musi- 
cians began  to  play  softly,  Lucile  stepped  out 
from  behind  a  make-believe  stone  in  the 
meadow  beside  a  pretend  brook  and  began  to 
sing  her  first  song.  Every  one  grew  quiet  to 
listen. 

220 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  221 

Giving  a  Show 

The  play,  "Down  on  the  Farm,"  had  been 
changed  somewhat  by  Mr.  Treadwell  from 
what  he  had  first  planned.  This  had  to  be  done 
as  he  found  out  the  different  things  the  boy  and 
girl  actors  could  best  do.  And  the  first  act  had 
to  do  with  Lucile,  a  lost  girl  who  wandered  to 
a  farm  meadow  near  the  house  where  Bunny 
Brown  and  his  sister  Sue  lived,  only,  of  course, 
they  had  different  names  in  the  play. 

Lucile  sang  her  little  song,  and  then  she  pre- 
tended she  was  so  tired,  from  having  walked  a 
long  way,  that  she  must  lie  down  and  take  a 
rest. 

It  was  while  she  was  lying  down  on  some 
green  carpet  that  took  the  place  of  green  grass 
in  the  meadow  that  Bunny  and  Sue  were  sup- 
posed to  come  along  and  find  her. 

Bunny  and  Sue  had  a  little  act  to  themselves 
at  this  point.  They  stood  on  the  stage  and  talked 
about  the  sleeping  Lucile.  Bunny  said  she 
looked  sad  and  he  was  going  to  cheer  her  up. 

"How  are  you  going  to  make  her  feel  happy?" 
asked  Sue. 

"I — I'm  going  to  turn  a  pepper — no,  I  mean 
a  somersault!"  cried  Bunny,  stammering  a  trifle 


222  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

and  making  a  little  mistake,  for  this  was  the 
first  time  he  had  acted  before  such  a  large 
crowd.    But  no  one  laughed. 

"Can  you  turn  somersaults?"  asked  Sue. 

"Yes,  I'll  show  you  I  answered  Bunny.  And 
then,  on  the  stage,  he  began  turning  over  and 
over. 

All*  this  was  part  of  the  play,  of  course,  and 
Bunny  was  loudly  clapped  for  the  way  in  which 
he  turned  head  over  heels.  He  had  practiced 
these  somersaults  many  times,  and  Mart  had 
helped  him. 

"Well,  if  you  can  make  her  happy  by  doing 
that  maybe  I  can  make  her  happier  by  singing 
a  song,"  said  Sue.  "I'll  practice  my  song 
while  she's  asleep  as  you  practiced  your  somer- 
saults." 

And  so  Sue  began  to  sing,  while  Lucile  pre- 
tended to  be  asleep.  After  Sue's  song  Mart  was 
supposed  to  come  along,  being  a  boy  who  had 
run  away  from  a  circus,  and  he  was  to  watch 
Bunny  try  to  turn  a  handspring.  Bunny  was  to 
make  believe  he  couldn't  turn  a  handspring  very 
well,  and  Mart  would  then  take  the  center  of 
the  stage. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  223 

Giving  a  Show 

"Here!  Look  at  me  do  a  flipflop!"  cried 
Mart,  and  then  he  really  did  some  very  good 
tricks  for  a  boy  acrobat. 

All  this  while  Lucile  was  pretending  to  be 
asleep,  and  when  Mart's  tricks  were  over  she 
was  supposed  to  wake  up  suddenly.  At  this 
point  Sue  was  to  see  the  pretend  tramp,  who,  of 
course,  was  only  Mr.  Teadwell  dressed  up  in 
old  clothes. 

Everything  went  off  very  well.  Along 
through  the  meadow  walked  the  actor  tramp, 
and  then,  when  Sue  and  Bunny  called  for 
"Snap,"  out  rushed  Splash. 

"Grab  him!"  cried  Bunny,  and  has  dog  caught 
hold  of  the  loose  piece  of  cloth  sewed  to  Mr. 
Treadwell's  coat.  Then  began  a  funny  scene, 
with  the  actor  pulling  one  way  and  Splash  pull- 
ing the  other,  until,  with  a  rip,  the  cloth  came 
loose  and  Splash  began  shaking  it  as  he  might 
a  rat. 

Well,  you  should  have  heard  the  people  laugh 
and  clap  at  that!  They  wanted  that  scene  done 
over  again,  but  of  course  this  wasn't  like  a  song, 
with  two  verses.  Mr.  Treadwell  only  had  one 
patch  sewed  on  his  coat,  and  when  that  was  torn 


224  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

off  he  didn't  want  Splash  to  pretend  to  bite  him 
again. 

Finally  the  dog  act  came  to  an  end  and  the 
little  play  went  on  with  George  and  Mary  Wat- 
son, Harry  Bentley,  fat  Bobbie  Boomer,  Sadie 
West,  Charlie  Star  and  Helen  Newton,  besides 
other  boys  and  girls,  taking  part.  They  all  did 
well,  and  the  fathers  and  mothers  and  strangers, 
too,  applauded  very  loudly. 

Lucile's  Uncle  Bill  could  hear  all  that  was 
said,  though  he  could  see  nothing,  and  he  seemed 
to  enjoy  it  all  very  much.  The  first  act  came 
to  an  end  with  all  the  children  joining  in  sing- 
ing a  chorus. 

"And  now  for  act  two!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Treadwell,  as  the  curtain  went  down.  "This  is 
in  the  barnyard,  you  know." 

"I  hope  Peter  crows  at  the  right  time!"  said 
George,  for  it  had  been  decided  to  try  the  roos- 
ter in  that  act. 

While  the  audience  sat  in  front  of  the  lowered 
curtain,  waiting  for  it  to  go  up  again,  the  chil- 
dren behind  the  curtain  were  very  busy.  Most 
of  them  had  to  dress  in  different  clothes,  or 
"costumes,"  as  they  are  called,  for  the  next  act. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  225 

Giving  a  Show 

And,  for  a  time,  there  was  much  hurrying  to 
and  fro,  much  hunting  here  and  there  for  things 
that  had  been  mislaid. 

"Where's  my  red  hat?"  called  Charlie  Star 
as  he  looked  back  of  a  piece  of  scenery  that  had 
a  little  brook  painted  on  it.  "Has  anybody  got 
my  red  hat?" 

"Is  it  a  fireman's  hat,  Charlie?"  asked  Sue, 
who  was  looking  for  some  one  to  help  her  pin 
her  dress  in  the  back. 

"No,  it  was  a  soldier's  hat,  but  I'm  going  to 
make  believe  I'm  a  fireman,  so  I  guess  you  could 
call  it  a  fireman's  hat,"  explained  Charlie.  "Has 
anybody  seen  my  red  hat?" 

"Hush!  Not  so  loud!"  called  Mr.  Treadwell 
to  Charlie.  "The  audience  out  in  front  will 
hear  you,  and  they'll  all  be  laughing  at  us." 

"Oh!"  said  Charlie  more  quietly.  "But  I've 
got  to  have  my  hat,  or  I  can't  be  in  the  next 
act." 

"I'll  help  you  hunt  for  it,"  said  Bunny  Brown. 
"I  know  where  all  my  things  are  for  the  next 
act  and  I  have  time  to  help  you,  Charlie,  'cause 
you  helped  me  a  lot  by  printing  the  tickets  for 
our  show." 


226  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

The  two  little  boys  began  to  hunt  behind  the 
scene,  on  the  stage,  for  the  missing  red  hat.  They 
searched  all  around  for  it,  but  it  seemed  to  have 
disappeared.  Even  Mr.  Treadwell  helped  look, 
for  he  knew  the  play  would  not  go  right  unless 
Charlie  was  dressed  as  had  been  planned  for 
him. 

"Did  anybody  see  Charlie's  red  hat?"  finally 
the  impersonator  called,  when  he  managed  to 
stop  all  the  others  from  talking  for  a  moment. 
"Please  think,  and  see  if  you  can  remember  see- 
ing a  red  hat." 

Then  the  buzz  of  talk  broke  out  again,  while 
the  men  who  had  been  hired  to  do  it  kept  on 
setting  up  the  scenes  for  the  second  act.  But  all 
the  children  who  had  time  to  do  so  helped 
Bunny  look  for  the  red  hat. 

"Maye  Splash  took  it,"  suggested  Sue,  when 
she  had  finally  gotten  her  dress  pinned  to  suit 
her.  "I  saw  him  dragging  something  off  to  one 
i  corner  a  while  ago." 

"Was  it  a  bone?"  asked  Bunny. 

"I  couldn't  see  very  well,  'cause  I  was  in  a 
hurry,"  Sue  answered. 

"Come  on — we'll  find  Splash!"  called  Bunny 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  227 

Giving  a  Show 

to  Charlie  and  some  ot  the  others  who  were 
helping  in  the  search. 

But  even  the  dog  seemed  to  have  hidden  him- 
self. At  last,  however,  he  was  heard  growling 
in  a  dark  corner,  and  Bunny  saw  that  his  pet 
was  chewing  something,  and  tossing  it  up  in  the 
air,  as  he  often  tossed  a  bit  of  cloth  or  an  old 
shoe. 

"Splash!  What  have  you  got?"  cried  Bunny. 
"Bring  it  here!" 

At  first  the  dog  did  not  mind,  but  finally, 
when  both  Sue  and  Bunny  told  him  to  come,  out 
he  came,  dragging  something  after  him. 

"Oh,  it  is  my  red  hat!"  cried  Charlie,  when 
he  saw  it.  "It's  my  nice  red  hat  that  mother 
made  for  me  to  wear  in  the  show!" 

And  that  is  what  it  was.  But  the  red  hat  was 
nice  and  red  no  longer.  Splash  had  chewed  all 
the  red  off  it,  and  the  hat  was  also  very  much  out 
of  shape. 

"Splash!  You're  a  bad  dog!"  cried  Bunny, 
shaking  his  finger  at  his  pet,  and  Splash  slunk 
away  with  his  tail  between  his  legs.  He  always 
did  that  whenever  any  one  called  him  a  bad  dog. 

"Oh,  see  how  bad  he  feels,"  said  Sue,  in  her 


228  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

gentle  voice.  "I  guess  he  didn't  mean  to  be  bad 
and  chew  your  hat,  Charlie." 

"But  he  did  chew  it!"  replied  the  little  boy 
who  was  to  wear  it  in  the  next  act.  "Look!  I 
can't  even  get  it  on!    It  isn't  a  hat  at  all  1" 

"Let  me  see,"  said  Mr.  Treadwell,  coming 
up  just  then.  He  looked  at  what  Splash  had 
left  of  the  hat.  It  was  torn  and  chewed  and  the 
color  was  all  gone,  for  the  red  had  been  only 
red  ribbons  pinned  on  an  old  cap,  and  Splash 
had  made  them  look  very  sad  indeed. 

"What  can  I  do?"  asked  Charlie.  "Have  I 
got  to  stay  out  of  the  play?" 

Mr.  Treadwell  thought  for  a  moment. 

"No,"  he  said.  "I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do. 
You  were  to  be  a  fireman  and  wear  this  red 
hat,  weren't  you?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Charlie. 

"Well,  you  can  still  be  a  fireman,  but  instead 
of  a  red  hat  you  can  wear  a  tin  one.  A  tin  hat 
will  be  just  the  thing  for  a  fireman.  It  will 
keep  the  make-believe  hot  sparks,  as  well  as  the 
water,  off  his  head." 

"But  where  can  I  get  a  tin  hat?"  asked 
Charlie. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  229 

Giving  a  Show 

"I'll  have  Mr.  Raymond  bring  up  a  small  tin 
pail  from  his  hardware  store  downstairs." 

And  that's  what  was  done,  and  the  new,  shiny- 
tin  pail  made  a  very  funny  hat  for  Charlie.  He 
liked  it  better  than  the  red  one  that  Splash  had 
chewed. 

After  some  delay  the  curtain  went  up  again, 
showing  the  barnyard  scene,  and  in  this  Bunny 
and  Sue  were  to  drive  Toby,  their  Shetland 
pony,  on  the  stage.  It  had  been  decided  they 
could  do  this,  as  the  pony  was  a  very  little  one. 

Up  went  the  curtain  again,  and  once  more  the 
big  crowd  clapped  as  they  saw  how  pretty  and 
natural  it  was.  There  was  part  of  a  barn  with 
a  real  door  that  opened,  and  when  it  swung  wide 
and  out  trotted  the  Shetland  pony  on  to  the 
stage,  drawing  a  little  cart  in  which  sat  Bunny 
and  Sue,  why,  then  you  should  have  heard  the 
applause ! 

And  then  something  happened.  Just  how  it 
came  about  no  one  knew,  but,  all  of  a  sudden, 
there  was  a  loud  crow,  and  out  from  his  basket, 
which  had  been  hidden  back  of  the  wings,  flew 
Peter,  the  rooster. 

At  first  no  one  paid  much  attention  to  this,  as 


230  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

they  all  knew  it  was  part  of  the  play.  But  when 
Peter  suddenly  flew  out  from  back  of  the  stage 
and  alighted  right  on  the  pony's  back,  Toby  was 
much  frightened. 

Up  he  rose  on  his  hind  legs,  and  then  he  made 
a  dash  for  the  edge  of  the  stage.  Straight  for  the 
footlights  he  started,  dragging  Bunny  and  Sue 
in  the  cart  after  him! 

Men  jumped  to  their  feet  and  women 
screamed.  It  looked  as  if  Bunny  and  Sue  would 
be  hurt. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

ACT  III 

LUCKY  it  was  for  every  one  that  Mr.  Tread- 
well  was  an  old  actor  and  stage  manager  and 
that  he  was  used  to  slight  accidents  happening 
during  a  show.  Just  at  the  time  Bunny  and 
Sue,  in  the  pony  cart,  were  seemingly  about  to 
be  run  over  the  footlights.  Mr.  Treadwell  was 
at  one  side  of  the  stage,  waiting  for  his  turn  to 
go  on,  dressed  as  an  old  soldier.  When  he  saw 
what  was  happening  to  the  little  boy  and  girl 
he  did  not  stop. 

Rushing  out  he  fairly  slid  across  the  smooth 
boards,  in  front  of  the  make-believe  barn,  and 
he  grabbed  the  pony's  bridle  in  one  hand.  In 
the  other  he  h'eld  the  sword  that  he  was  sup- 
posed to  use  as  a  soldier. 

"Halt!"  cried  the  impersonator.  "Stop  right 
where  you  are,  and  surrender  to  General 
Grant!" 

Mr.  Treadwell  really  was  dressed  up  like 
General  Grant,  but  Bunny  and  Sue  were  sur- 
prised to  hear  him  use  these  words,  which  were 

231 


232  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

not  in  the  play  at  all.  "General  Grant"  had  quite 
a  different  part  to  perform,  and  at  first  Bunny 
and  Sue  could  not  understand  it.  All  they  knew 
was  that  Mr.  Treadwell  had  caught  the  pony's 
bridle  in  time  to  stop  the  frightened  animal 
from  walking  over  the  edge  of  the  stage,  when 
Peter  the  rooster  crowed  so  loudly  from  his 
back.  Perhaps  the  sharp  claws  of  the  rooster 
may  have  tickled  the  pony.  I  should  think  they 
would.  Anyhow  the  pony  was  stopped  just  in 
time. 

"Don't  be  frightened,  Bunny  and  Sue!"  whis- 
pered Mr.  Treadwell,  as  he  motioned  for  the  or- 
chestra to  play  a  little  louder,  so  no  one  in  the 
audience  could  hear  what  he  said.  Then  he 
went  on :  "Just  pretend  it  is  all  part  of  the  show! 
Make  believe  I  was  to  rush  out  this  way,  and 
call  on  you  to  surrender.  I'll  take  Peter  off  the 
pony's  back.  The  rooster  makes  him  afraid. 
Now,  Bunny,  you  say:  All  right  General 
Grant!    I'll  surrender  if  it  takes  all  summer!" 

Bunny  had  been  told  so  many  times  by  Mr. 
Treadwell  just  what  other  things  to  say  that  this 
time  he  did  not  waste  a  second.  So,  almost  as 
soon  as  the  impersonator,  dressed  as  General 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  233 

Giving  a  Show 

Grant,  had  rushed  out,  grabbed  the  pony's 
bridle,  and  called  on  Bunny  and  Sue  to  surren- 
der, Bunny  answered: 

"All  right,  General  Grant.  I'll  surrender  if 
— if  it  takes  all  summer!" 

Bunny  didn't  know  why  some  of  the  old  men 
in  the  audience  laughed  so  hard  when  he  said 
this,  but  later  on  his  father  told  him  that  some 
of  them,  like  Uncle  Tad,  had  fought  under  Gen- 
eral Grant  in  the  Civil  War  and  that  he  had 
said  words  that  were  a  "take-off"  of  one  of  Gen- 
eral Grant's  real  speeches. 

So,  in  less  time  than  I  have  taken  to  tell  you 
about  it,  the  danger  was  over,  Mr.  Treadwell 
had  turned  the  pony  around  so  that  it  was 
headed  back  toward  the  make-believe  barn, 
Peter,  the  crowing  rooster  had  been  taken  from 
the  back  of  the  little  horse,  and  the  play  was 
going  on  as  usual. 

Lucile  came  out  and  sang  another  song,  Mart 
did  some  acrobatic  feats,  and  the  other  boys  and 
girls  did  their  parts  in  the  play,  while  "General 
Grant"  appeared  again  and  amused  the  audi- 
ence. 

"Dear  me,   Mrs.   Brown!"  exclaimed   Mrs. 


234  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Newton,  who  sat  next  to  the  mother  of  Bunny 
and  Sue,  "I  thought  at  first  that  was  an  accident 
i — the  way  the  pony  started  off  the  stage  when 
the  rooster  got  on  his  back — but  I  guess  it  was 
all  part  of  the  play." 

"It  was  clever  of  them  to  get  up  something 
to  fool  us  like  that — almost  too  real  and  life- 
like, I  think,  though,"  said  the  mother  of  one  of 
the  little  boys  in  the  play. 

Mrs.  Brown  knew,  irom  the  looks  on  the 
faces  of  Bunny  and  Sue,  that  it  was  an  accident, 
and  not  intended,  but  she  said  nothing,  for  she 
did  not  want  to  spoil  any  one's  pleasure  in  the 
show. 

And  so  the  performance  went  on,  the  boys  and 
girls  doing  simple  little  things  they  had  been 
taught  by  Mr.  Tread  well.  There  were  dances 
and  drills,  for  it  was  a  sort  of  mixed-up  play, 
without  very  much  of  what  grown  folks  call 
"plot."  But  it  was  just  the  thing  for  Bunny 
Brown  and  his  sister  Sue,  and  the  only  sort  of; 
play  they  could  have  given,  for  they  were  not 
very  old. 

In  one  scene  George  Watson,  Harry  Bentley, 
and  Charlie  Star  played  leapfrog,  jumping  over 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  235 

Giving  a  Show 

one  another's  backs.  Bunny  also  had  a  part  in 
this. 

George  tried  to  get  his  rooster  to  do  a  little 
trick  in  the  barnyard  scene.  The  boy  stood  near 
the  barn  door  and  held  a  piece  of  bread  in  his 
hand.  He  wanted  Peter,  the  rooster,  to  fly  up, 
perch  on  his  head,  and  eat  the  crumbs  of  bread. 
But  the  rooster  seemed  to  think  he  had  done 
enough  by  perching  on  the  pony's  back,  and  he 
wouldn't  fly  on  top  of  George's  head  at  all.  So 
they  had  to  leave  that  trick  out  of  the  second  act. 

Then  the  curtain  went  down  on  the  second 
act,  the  barnyard  scene,  and  the  boy  and  girls 
got  ready  for  the  last,  the  third  act,  in  the  or- 
chard. This  was  to  be  the  prettiest  of  all,  for 
it  was  supposed  to  be  in  apple-blossom  time,  and 
the  scene  was  a  beautiful  one,  though  it  was 
cold,  snowy,  and  wintry  weather  outside.  Mr. 
Treadwell  had  done  his  best  on  this  act. 

It  was  hard  work  for  some  of  the  children, 
though  most  of  them  thought  of  it  as  play,  but 
they  had  spent  long  hours  in  drilling. 

As  I  have  told  you,  there  was  a  real  tree  in 
the  scene,  and  a  house,  and  the  play  was  sup- 
posed to  end  with  every  one  saying  how  happy 


236  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

he  or  she  was  to  be  "Down  on  the  Farm,"  when 
they  all  sang  a  song  with  those  words  in  it. 

Everything  went  off  very  nicely.  Bunny  and 
Sue  did  even  better  in  this  third  act  than  in  the 
first  or  second,  and  there  was  no  little  accident 
like  that  with  the  pony  and  rooster, 

They  were  coming  to  the  climax  of  the  third 
act.  Sue  was  supposed  to  be  lost,  and  Bunny 
was  supposed  to  hunt  for  her.  He  was  to  look 
everywhere,  and  at  last  find  her  up  in  an  apple 
tree — or  what  passed  for  an  apple  tree — on  fche 
stage. 

All  went  well  until  Sue  slipped  out  of  the 
farmhouse,  ran  to  the  apple  tree  and  climbed 
up  in  it  to  hide  among  the  artificial  branches. 
Then  Bunny  started  to  pretend  to  look  for  her. 
He  stood  under  the  tree,  but  didn't  let  on  he 
knew  she  was  there,  though  of  course  he  really 
did  know. 

"I  wonder  where  she  can  be?"  he  said  aloud, 
just  as  he  was  supposed  to  say  in  the  play. 
"Where  can  she  have  hidden  herself?" 

And  just  then  little  Weejie  Brewster  piped  up 
from  where  she  was  sitting  with  her  mother: 

"Dere  she  is,  Bunny!    Dere's  Sue  hidin'  up 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  237 

Giving  a  Show 

in  de  apper  tree!  I  kin  see  her  'egs  stickin' 
out!    She's  in  de  tree,  she  is!" 

Of  course  everybody  burst  out  laughing  at 
hearing  this,  but  the  play  was  so  near  the  end  that 
what  Weejie  said  did  not  spoil  it.  Bunny  had  to 
laugh  himself,  and  so  did  Sue.  Then  Bunny 
looked  up  among  the  branches,  pretended  to 
discover  Sue,  and  on  he  went  with  the  rest  of 
his  talk. 

The  little  white  mice  performed  once  again. 
Splash  did  another  trick  quite  well,  too.  And 
then  Peter,  the  rooster,  as  if  to  make  up  for  not 
behaving  nicely  in  the  second  act,  flew  out  on 
the  head  of  George  just  as  he  was  handing 
Lucile  a  boquet  when  she  sang  her  "Rose  Song." 

Of  course  the  rooster,  coming  out  at  that  time, 
rather  spoiled  Lucile's  song,  but  she  didn't 
mind,  and  when  the  audience  got  over  laughs 
ing  she  went  on  with  it  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

It  was  just  before  the  last  scene,  where  the 
whole  company  of  boys  and  girls  was  to  gather 
aound  Mr.  Tread  well,  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
sing  the  farm  song,  that  something  else  hap- 
pened. 


238  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Down  the  aisle  came  Mr.  Jed  Winkler,  and 
in  his  hand  he  held  a  yellow  telegram  envelope. 
He  marched  up  to  Mr.  Brown  and  said,  so  loud 
that  every  one  could  hear  him: 

"This  message  just  came!  I  was  over  at  the 
telegraph  office  and  the  operator  gave  it  to  me 
to  bring  to  you." 

"Oh,  thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Brown. 

There  was  a  little  pause  in  the  play  while  the 
children  were  getting  ready  to  sing  the  last  song". 
Mr.  Brown  tore  open  the  message. 

"I  hope  there  is  no  bad  news,"  some  one  said, 
and  every  one  in  the  audience  hoped  the  same 
thing,  for  they  all  liked  Mr.  Brown. 

Bunny  and  Sue,  up  on  the  stage,  looked  at 
their  father  in  some  wonderment,  while  Lucile, 
who  was  to  lead  in  the  singing,  glanced  at  her 
brother.    Could  the  telegram  be  about  them? 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  FINAL  CURTAIN 

Mr.  Treadwell,  who  was  off  to  one  side  of 
the  stage  getting  everything  ready  for  the  last 
scene,  came  out  now  to  tell  Bunny,  Sue,  and  the 
others  to  start  the  singing. 

"And  sing  good  and  loud,"  said  the  imper- 
sonator, who  was  dressed  in  a  funny  clown  suit. 
"Sing  your  best,  so  all  the  people  will  like  the 
show  that  Bunny  and  Sue  started." 

The  piano  player  struck  a  few  notes  and  then 
Mr.  Brown,  who  had  finished  reading  the  tele- 
gram, held  up  his  hand  and  stepped  out  into  the 
aisle,  walking  toward  the  stage. 

"Wait  a  minute!"  called  Mr.  Brown,  and  the 
piano  player  stopped. 

"Is  there  anything  the  matter?"  asked  Mr. 
Treadwell,  and  Lucile's  Uncle  Bill  seemed  a  bit 
uneasy,  for,  being  blind,  he  could  not  so  well' 
take  care  of  himself  in  case  of  accident  as  could 
the  others. 

"Don't  you  want  Bunny  and  me  to  sing  any 
more,  Daddy?"  called  out  Sue,  from  where  she 

239 


240  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

stood  on  the  stage,  and  nearly  every  one  in  the 
hall  laughed. 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed,  I  want  you  to  sing,"  said 
Mr.  Brown.  "But  I  have  some  good  news,  and 
I  might  as  well  tell  it  to  those  to  whom  it  comes 
before  the  show  goes  on.  It  will  not  take  more 
than  a  few  minute.  Lucile — Mart — the  good 
news  is  for  you  I"  And  Mr.  Brown  waved  the 
telegram  at  the  boy  acrobat  and  his  sister,  the 
singer. 

"Is  it  from  our  kin?"  asked  Mart. 

"Yes,"  answered  Bunny's  father.  "This  mes- 
sage came  to  me  because,  I  suppose,  your  uncle, 
Mr.  William  Clayton,  gave  my  address  when 
he  telegraphed  to  your  uncle  Simon  and  Aunt 
Sallie." 

"And  is  the  message  from  them?"  asked 
Lucile. 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Brown.  "It's  from  your 
Uncle  Simon,  and  he  says  he  and  your  aunt  will 
be  here  in  about  a  week.  They  have  been  giving 
a  show  in  a  far-off  country,  and  they  did  not 
know  you  had  lost  track  of  them  and  your  Uncle 
Bill.  But  everything  is  all  right  now.  Your 
uncle  and  aunt  are  coming  to  look  after  you, 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  241 

Giving  a  Show 

and  they  say  they  are  sorry  you  had  so  much 
trouble." 

"We  didn't  have  much  trouble  after  we  met 
you,  and  you  took  care  of  us,"  said  Mart. 

"Well,  I'm  glad  you  feel  that  way  about  it," 
replied  Mr.  Brown.  "And  I'll  be  glad  to  have 
you  and  Lucile  stay  with  me  until  your  uncle 
and  aunt  come  back.  It's  well  they  telegraphed 
instead  of  waiting  to  send  a  letter,  for  the  good 
news  came  more  quickly.  They  say  they  just  re- 
ceived the  first  letter  your  Uncle  Bill  sent,  and 
they  made  haste  to  answer  by  telegraph." 

"So  everything  is  all  right,  is  it?"  asked 
Mart's  Uncle  Bill,  from  where  he  sat  with  a 
friend  from  the  Home  for  the  Blind. 

"Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Brown.  "Lucile  and 
Mart  have  found  their  relatives,  and  I  hope  they 
never  lose  them  again." 

"That's  fine!"  cried  the  blind  man.  "This 
will  be  a  jolly  Christmas  for  everybody!" 

And  so  it  was,  and  no  one  was  happier  than 
Lucile  and  Mart  that  they  had  found  their  miss- 
ing uncle  and  aunt. 

"Oh,  I  can  sing  my  last  song  so  much  more 
happily  now!"  said  Lucile  softly. 


242  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

"And  I'm  going  to  turn  three  flipflops  instead 
of  one!"  cried  Mart. 

"And  I'll  help  you!"  added  Bunny  Brown, 
and  every  one  laughed  again.  It  was  a  merry, 
happy,  jolly  time,  just  right  for  Christmas. 

"Well,  all  ready  now,  children!"  called  Mr. 
Treadwell  when  Mr.  Brown  had  taken  his  seat. 
"Now  for  the  last  grand  chorus  then  the  final 
curtain  and  the  play  will  be  over!" 

Once  more  the  piano  played,  and  then  the 
children,  led  by  Lucile,  lifted  up  their  sweet 
voices  in  song.  And  it  seemed  to  be  a  hymn  of 
thanksgiving  for  the  two  children  who  had 
found  their  lost  ones. 

Circling  around  the  tree  in  the  stage  orchard 
marched  Bunny  Brown,  his  sister  Sue,  and  the 
other  children.  Then  out  danced  Mr.  Tread- 
well,  in  another  funny  suit,  and  then,  all  at  once, 
out  from  the  wings  rushed  Splash  the  dog.  He 
stood  up  on  his  hind  legs  put  his  paws  on  Mr. 
Treadwell's  shoulders,  and  marched  across  the 
stage  that  way,  while  the  audience  clapped  and 
Bunny  and  Sue  stared  with  wide-opened  eyes. 

"I — I  didn't  know  my  dog  could  do  that 
trick!"  cried  Bunny. 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  243 

Giving  a  Show 

"I  taught  it  to  him  for  a  surprise,"  said  the 
actor.  "Hi,  Splash  I  Come  on  and  have  an- 
other dance  with  me!"  And  the  dog  walked 
across  the  stage  again  on  his  hind  legs. 

And  then,  with  another  song,  given  as  the 
children  stood  in  a  double  row  facing  the  audi- 
ence, the  show  of  "Down  on  the  Farm"  came  to 
a  close  and  the  final  curtain  fell,  while  the 
crowd  of  fathers,  mothers,  sisters,  brothers, 
uncles,  aunts  and  friends  applauded  as  loudly 
as  they  could.  Mr.  Brown  gave  a  little  talk 
about  the  Home  for  the  Blind  and  many  per- 
sons said  they  would  help  it. 

"Well,  from  what  I  heard  of  it,  I'll  say  that 
was  a  fine  show!"  said  Lucile's  Uncle  Bill.  "And 
one  of  the  best  parts  was  that  telegram  Mr. 
Brown  read." 

"Yes,  I  think  so  myself,"  said  Bunny's  father. 

Back  on  the  stage  the  children  were  hurrying 
to  get  off  their  costumes  and  into  their  regular 
garments,  so  they  might  go  home  and  look  at 
their  Christmas  presents  once  more. 

"Shall  we  ever  give  the  show  again?"  asked 
Charlie  Star. 

"Well,  we  might,  in  a  day  or  so,"  said  Mr. 


244  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

Treadwell.  "If  the  audience  would  like  to  see 
it,  we  might  give  it  some  afternoon  next  week." 

"Oh,  yes,  let's  do  it!"  cried  Bunny. 

"Oh,  yes!"  cried  Sue  and  the  others. 

While  this  talk  was  going  on  Mr.  Raymond, 
the  owner  of  the  hall,  came  up  to  where  Bunny 
Brown  stood. 

"I  guess  you're  the  treasurer  of  this  show, 
aren't  you?"  he  asked,  and  Sue  noticed  that  the 
hardware  man  had  something  in  his  hand. 

"No — no,"  said  Bunny,  shaking  his  head,  "I 
wasn't  a — a  treasure.  I  was  a  farm  boy  in  one 
act  and  I  turned  somersaults  in  another  act." 

"Well,  I  don't  exactly  mean  that,"  said  Mr. 
Raymond,  with  a  laugh.  "I  mean  you  got  up 
the  show,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes,  Bunny  and  Sue  really  started  it,"  said 
Mr.  Treadwell. 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  said  the  hardware 
man.  "Well,  then,  Bunny,  this  money  comes  to 
you.  It's  what  was  taken  in  at  the  door,  and 
what  was  paid  for  tickets.  Your  father  asked 
me  to  take  charge  of  it,  but,  now  that  the  first 
show,  at  least,  is  over,  you'd  better  have  it." 

He  handed  a  box  that  seemed  to  be  full  of 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  245 

Giving  a  Show 

silver  money  and  bills  to  Bunny  and  Sue  Brown. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  exclaimed  Sue.  "It's  most  a 
thousand  dollars  I  guess  1" 

"No,  not  quite  as  much  as  that,"  said  Mr. 
Raymond.  "But  your  show  was  a  great  suc- 
cess, and  there's  ninety  dollars  and  fifteen  cents 
there.  The  fifteen  cents  is  from  a  boy  who 
couldn't  raise  the  quarter  admission,  so  I  let 
him  in  for  fifteen.  I'd  have  let  him  in  for  noth- 
ing, but  he  said  he  wanted  to  do  all  he  could  to 
help  the  Home  for  the  Blind." 

"Yes,  this  money's  for  the  Blind  Home,"  said 
Bunny.  "I'm  glad  we  got  such  a  lot.  I  didn't 
think  we'd  get  more  than  ten  dollars." 

"Indeed,  you  did  very  well,  and  I  want  to 
thank  you  on  behalf  of  the  blind  people,"  said 
Mr.  Harrison,  manager  of  the  Home,  to  whom 
Mr.  Brown  handed  the  money,  after  Bunny, 
Sue,  and  the  other  children  had  all  had  a  look 
at  it.  "This  will  buy  many  a  little  comfort  for 
my  people." 

Then,  indeed,  Bunny,  Sue  and  the  others  felt 
repaid  for  all  they  had  done  to  get  up  the  show; 
and  some  of  them  had  worked  very  hard  to  give 
the  audience  a  pleasant  and  amusing  time. 


246  Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue 

Giving  a  Show 

So  everything  came  out  well,  and  the  finding 
of  the  uncle  and  aunt  of  Lucile  and  Mart  was 
one  of  the  nicest  parts  of  the  little  play. 

Soon  the  hall  was  deserted,  and  the  children 
were  on  their  way  home.  Mr.  Bill  Clayton — 
though  I  presume  his  name  was  William,  and 
not  just  Bill — and  Mr.  Harrison  went  to  the 
Brown  house  to  stay  for  supper,  and  there  the 
telegram  from  their  Uncle  Simon  was  read 
again  by  Lucile  and  Mart. 

"I'm  going  to  be  a  show  actor  when  I  grow 
up,"  declared  Bunny  Brown.  " 

"And  I'm  going  to  sing  on  the  stage — I  like 
it,"  said  Sue. 

"Well,  it  will  be  a  good  many  years  before 
you  are  old  enough  to  go  on  the  real  stage,"  said 
her  mother,  with  a  laugh.  "You  or  Bunny 
either." 

And  so  the  show  that  Bunny  and  Sue  gave 
came  to  an  end — yet  not  quite  an  end,  either. 
For  the  play  was  given  over  again  the  week 
after,  and  more  money  raised  for  the  Home  for 
the  Blind.  And  among  those  in  the  audience 
were  Mart  and  Lucile's.  Uncle  Simon  and  Aunt 
Sallie.     They  had  hurried  their  trip  back  to 


Bunny  Brown  and  His  Sister  Sue  247 

Giving  a  Show 

this  country  to  look  after  Lucile  and  Mart,  and 
they  were  glad  to  find  their  niece  and  nephew  in 
such  good  hands. 

"And  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Bunny  Brown, 
thinking  of  getting  up  a  show,  maybe  you'd 
never  have  found  us,"  said  Mart  to  his  Uncle 
Simon. 

"Maybe,"  agreed  Mr.  Weatherby.  "Bunny 
did  a  lot,  and  so  did  his  sister  Sue!  They're  just 
the  kind  of  children  to  do  things!" 

And  perhaps,  if  all  goes  well,  you  may  read 
of  other  doings  of  Bunny  Brown  and  his  sister 
Sue. 

THE  END. 


THE    BUNNY    BROWN    SERIES 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of  the  Popular  "Bobbsey  Twins"  Books 

Wrapper  and  text  illustrations  drawn  by 
FLORENCE   ENGLAND  NOSWORTHY 

12mo.     DURABLY   BOUND.     ILLUSTRATED.     UNIFORM   STYLE  OF  BiNDIHS 

These  stories  by  the  author  of  the  "Bobbsey  Twins"  Books 
are  eagerly  welcomed  by  the  little  folks  from  about  five  to  ten 
years  of  age.  Their  eyes  fairly  dance  with  delight  at  the  lively 
doings  of  inquisitive  little  Bunny  Brown  and  his  cunning,  trust- 
ful sister  Sue. 

Bunny  was  a  lively  little  boy,  very  inquisitive.  When  he  did 
anything,  Sue  followed  his  leadership.  They  had  many  adven- 
tures, some  comical  in  the  extreme. 

BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE 

BUNNY   BROV/N  AND  HIS  SISTER   SUE  ON  GRAND- 
PA'S FARM 

BUNNY    BROWN    AND    HIS    SISTER    SUE    PLAYING 
CIRCUS 

BUNNY    BROWN    AND    HIS   SISTER   SUE   AT  CAMP 
REST-A-WHILE 

BUNNY   BROWN    AND   HIS   SISTER   SUE  AT  AUNT 
LU'S   CITY  HOME 

BUNNY   BROWN  AND  HIS   SISTER  SUE  IN  THE  BIG 
WOODS 

BUNNY  BROWN  AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  ON  AN  AUTO 
TOUR 

BUNNY  BROWN  AND   HIS  SISTER  SUE  AND  THEIR 
SHETLAND  PONY 

BUNNY   BROWN   AND    HIS   SISTER    SUE   GIVING   A 
SHOW 

BUNNY    BROWN    AND  HIS  SISTER  SUE  AT  CHRIST- 
MAS TREE  COVE 

Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Publishers,  New  York 


THE   BOBBSEY   TWINS    BOOKS 

For  Little  Men  and  Women 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of  "The  Bunny  Brown"  Series,  Etc. 

12mo.      DURABLY  BOUND.      ILLUSTRATED.      UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING 

Copyright  publications  which  cannot  be  obtained  else- 
where. Books  that  charm  the  hearts  of  the  little  ones, 
and  of  which  they  never  tire. 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  THE  SEASHORE 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  SNOW  LODGE 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  ON  A  HOUSEBOAT 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  MEADOW  BROOK 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  AT  HOME 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  A  GREAT  CITY 

THE    BOBBSEY   TWINS   ON   BLUEBERRY 
ISLAND 

THE   BOBBSEY  TWINS   ON  THE  DEEP  BLUE 
SEA 

THE  BOBBSEY  TWINS  IN  THE  GREAT  WEST 
Grosset  &  Dunlap,        Publishers,        New  York 


THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  SERIES 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of  the  "Bobbsey  Twin  Books"  and  "Bunny  Brown* 
Series. 

12mo.  BOUND  IN  CLOTH.       ILLUSTRATED.       UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BIK0IN3. 

These  tales  take  in  the  various  adventures  participated  in 
by  several  bright,  up-to-date  girls  who  love  outdoor  life. 
They  are  clean  and  wholesome,  free  from  sensationalism) 
absorbing  from  the  first  chapter  to  the  last. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEPDALE 
Or  Camping  and  Tramping  for  Fun  and  Health. 

Telling  how  the  girls  organized  their  Camping  and  Tramping  Club, 
how  they  went  on  a  tour,  and  of  various  adventures  which  befell  them. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  RAINBOW  LAKE 
Or  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Motor  Boat  Gem. 

One  of  the  girls  becomes  the  proud  possessor  of  a  motor  boat  and 
invites  her  club  members  to  take  a  trip  down  the  river  to  Rain- 
bow Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  lying  between  the  mountains. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  MOTOR  CAR 
.Or  The  Haunted  Mansion  of  Shadow  Valley. 

One  of  the  girls  has  learned  to  run  a  big  motor  car,  and  she  invitea 
the  club  to  go  on  a  tour  to  visit  some  distant  relatives.  On  the  way 
they  stop  at  a  deserted  mansion  and  make  a  surprising  discovery. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  WINTER  CAMP 
Or  Glorious  Days  on  Skates  and  Ice  Boats. 

In  this  story,  the  scene  is  shifted  to  a  winter  season.  The  girls 
have  some  jolly  times  skating  and  ice  boating,  and  visit  a  hunters?- 
camp  in  the  big  woods. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  FLORIDA. 
Or  Wintering  in  the  Sunny  South. 

The  parents  of  one  of  the  girls  have  bought  an  orange  grove  ia 
Florida^  and  her  companions  are  invited  to  visit  the  place.  They  take 
a  trip  into  the  interior,  where  several  unusual  things  happen. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  OCEAN  VIEW 
Or  The  Box  that  Was  Found  in  the  Sand. 

The  girls  have  great  fun  and  solve  a  mystery  while  on  ah  outing 
along  the  New  England  coast. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  ON  PINE  ISLAND 
Or  A  Cave  and  What  it  Contained. 

A  bright,  healthful  story,  full  of  good  times  at  a  bungalfw  camp 
en  Pine  Island.  7 

JGrosset  &  Dunlap,        Publishers,        New  York 


THE  MAKE-BELIEVE  STORIES 

(Trademark  Registered) 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 

Author  of 

"The  Bobbsey  Twins  Books,"    "The  Bunny  Brown  Series," 

"  Six  Little  Bunkers  Series,"  Etc. 

Picture  Wrappers  in  four  Colors.      Illustrations  in  Colors 

By  HARRY  L.  SMITH 

In  this  fascinating  line  of  books  Miss  Hope  has  the 
various  toys  come  to  life  when  "  nobody  is  looking  '* 
and  she  puts  them  through  a  series  of  adventures  as 
interesting  as  can  possibly  be  imagined.  They  are 
hailed  with  joy  by  young  folks  four  to  eight  years  of 
age. 

THE  STORY  OF  A  SAWDUST  DOLL 

THE  STORY  OF  A  WHITE  ROCKING  HORSE 

THE  STORY  OF  A  LAMB  ON  WHEELS 

THE  STORY  OF  A  BOLD  TIN  SOLDIER 

THE  STORY  OF  A  CANDY  RABBIT 

THE  STORY  OF  A  MONKEY  ON  A  STICK 

THE  STORY  OF  A  CALICO  CLOWN 

THE  STORY  OF  A  NODDING  DONKEY 

THE  STORY  OF  A  CHINA  CAT 

THE  STORY  OF  A  PLUSH  BEAR 

Grosset  &  Dunlap,        Publishers,        New  York 


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